i 


When  You  Go  West 
This  Winter 

Travel  Via  UNION  PACIFIC 


FOR 


SAFETY  — SERVICE  SPEED 

Electric,  Automatic,  Block  Signal  Protection 
Dining  Car  Meals  and  Service  "Best  in  The  World" 
Perfect  Track    Dustless  Roadbed 


287  BROADWAY, 

NEW  YORK. 


J.  B.  DeFRIEST, 

General  Eastern  Agent, 
U.  P.  H.  %. 


SOUTHERN  PACIFIC 

Rail  and  Steamship  Lines 
New  York  to  Pacific  Coast 


via  New  Orleans. 

The  Best  Route  for  Comfortable 
Travel  and  Picturesque  Scenery. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

New  York  Fire  Department 

The  history  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  or  the  history  of  any  fire  de- 
partment for  that  matter,  in  this  land  of  fires,  is  so  full  of  action,  so  replete  with 
stirring  incident;  and  is  so  much  a  story  of  heroism  and  noble  sacrifices  to  duty,  that 
it  seems  hard  for  the  ordinary  writer  to  do  the  subject  full  justice ;  it  would  almost 
seem  that  it  requires  a  Dickens  or  a  Marryett  to  chronicle  the  events  in  the  lives  of 
these  men  who  have  played  such  an  important  part  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  this,  the  greatest  commercial  centre  of  the  whole  United  States,  for  the  fireman 
has  at  all  times  followed  the  most  arduous  and  perilous  calling  that  we  have  in  times 
of  peace,  and  the  New  York  fireman  has  faced  his  full  quota  of  the  many  unexpected 
dangers  of  this  hazardous  work  with  an  unflinching  courage  which  has  called-  forth 
the  admiration  and  commendation  of  the  entire  world. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  to  write  a  history  of  the  Fire  Department  of  New  York 
City  is  to  write  a  history  of  the  city  itself,  for  from  the  very  first  authentic  description 
which  we  have  of  the  motley  collection  of  crude  huts  and  quaint  old  Dutch  houses 
perched  upon  the  rocks  and  cliffs  of  the  lower  end  of  the  Island  of  Manhattan,  and 
known  as  "Nieuw  Amsterdam,"  to  the  wonder-city  of  to-day,  whose  picturesque  sky- 
line marks  the  entrance  to  the  greatest  money-making  market  of  the  world,  the  subject 
of  fire-protection  has  always  received  the  respectful  and  careful  attention  of  business- 
men and  public-officials  alike  ;  in  fact,  it  might  almost  be  claimed  that  the  growth  of 
Greater  New  York,  from  the  primitive  Dutch  village  of  1614  to  the  Empire  City  of 
to-day,  can  be  outlined,  step  by  step,  by  a  corresponding  progress  in  the  methods  and 
appliances  used  in  the  control  and  extinguishment  of  fire,  for  the  expansion  of  the  city 
and  its  various  industries  has  been  more  or  less  dependent  upon  the  amount  of  adequate 
protection  it  has  received  from  the  ravages  of  this  element,  the  most  destructive  natural 
element  that  modern  civilization  has  had  to  contend  with. 

Outside  of  the  commercial  value  of  the  fireman  and  his  work,  his  personal  side 
presents  another  factor  which  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  growth  of  the  city,  for 
many  of  the  men  connected  with  the  volunteer  organizations  during  what  might  be 
called  the  "palmy  days"  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  were  identified  with  its 
most  important  business  interests,  many  whose  names  are  synonymous  with  the  financial 
development  of  New  York  as  a  great  business  centre,  and  who  represented  the  very 
best  and  foremost  families  of  the  old  city;  and  these  men,  notwithstanding  their  high 
social  position,  were  ready  and  eager  at  all  times  to  answer  the  call  of  the  alarm-bell, 
to  sacrifice  the  comfortable  surroundings  of  their  luxuriant  home  to  take  their  place  at 
the  pipe  or  at  the  hand-rail  of  the  engine,  and  to  face  all  manner  of  personal  danger 
and  hardship  in  an  unselfish  desire  to  protect  life  and  property.  Surely  no  history 
can  produce  a  better  example  of  patriotic  devotion  to  duty  than  this,  and  no  calling, 
no  matter  how  hazaidous  it  might  be,  has  brought  forth  the  finer  attributes  of  man- 
kind than  has  the  work  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department. 

In  considering  the  history  of  the  fire  departments  of  New  York  City  some  degree  of 
attention  must  necessarily  be  given  to  a  variety  of  subjects  calculated  to  illustrate  the 
growth  and  rapid  development  of  the  city.  And  what  a  wonderful  story  that  is !  What  a 
bewildering  panorama  it  reveals!  What  changes  have  to  be  noted,  what  pregnant  events 
dwelt  upon,  and  what  a  wonderful  tale  of  progress  is  to  be  unfolded !    What  alterations, 


3i 


moreover,  have  occurred  in  the  locality  now  occupied  by  the  City  of  Xew  York  since  the 
ship  of  the  first  discoverer  first  entered  its  qu  et  waters,  or  even  since  the  burgomasters  and 
schepens  of  New  Amsterdam  surrendered  the  infant  metropolis  to  its  English  captors.  The 
cluster  of  trading  houses  and  rude  huts  of  those  days  has  expanded  into  the  first  city  of 
the  United  Stales  and  the  third  largest  in  the  world,  containing  over  one  million  and  a 
half  of  inhabitants,  and  untold  wealth.  I  hit  marvelous  as  is  this  material  progress,  it  is 
not  a  whit  more  so  than  the  story  of  the  New  York  firemen.  This  gallant  band  of  citi- 
zens has  been  and  still  continues  to  be,  the  protectors  and  defenders  of  the  city  in  all 
its  varied  stages — from  infancy  to  manhood.  Such  changes  as  have  been  effected  from 
time  to  time  in  the  organization  of  the  departments  have  been  brought  about  to  conform 
to  pressing  public  requirements  and  to  keep  pace  with  the  times.  Hence  it  became  neces- 
sary, at  successive  periods,  to  pass  a  number  of  municipal  ordinances  regulating  the 
force  and  defining  their  duty.  These  ordinances  contain  a  pretty  comprehensive  historv 
of  the  doings  and  operations  of  the  Bremen  of  our  city. 

It  is  also  a  noteworthy  circumstance  that  the  New  World,  even  in  its  youth,  should 
have  shown  its  parent  how  best  to  guard  against  the  dreadful  ravages  of  fire,  and  how 
most  scientifically  to  fight  the  flames  which  had  been  the  terror  of  the  Old  World. 

Europe,  with  its  ages  of  civilization,  and  with  all  its  inventive  talent,  had  conceived 
nothing  like  the  New  York  fire  departments.  No  transatlantic  city  could  show  so  devoted 
a  band  of  men  as  our  volunteers  ;  and  to-day  our  new  department  stands  unrivaled  for 
efficiency.  The  fame  of  the  paid  department  has  crossed  the  seas.  One  of  the  first 
sights  which  visitors  to  our  shores  are  anxious  to  see  is  a  fire  engine  house.  An  exhibition 
drill  is  to  them  something  to  be  remembered  in  after  years.  Hut  the  volunteers  were  the 
pioneers  of  the  glory  of  the  fire  department  of  Xew  York.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
they  built  up  the  present  admirable  system.  They,  at  least,  largely  and  directly  con- 
tributed to  the  perfection  of  its  organization. 

Our  early  firemen  were  drawn  from  all  ranks  in  life — the  greater  part  from  the 
most  influential  classes.  Each  man  felt  he  had  a  stake  in  the  city,  and  readily  volunteered 
his  services.  Manx  of  them  were  individually  the  makers  of  our  history.  As  a  body,  they 
have  written  one  of  the  most  remarkable  pages  in  the  history  of  the  country.  A  volume 
devoted  to  these  gallant  fellows  ought,  therefore,  to  be  a  very  interesting  one. 

As  we  have  briefly  intimated,  we  cannot  touch  a  single  company  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment, or  the  briefest  period  of  the  annals  of  that  company,  without  finding  ourselves  face 
to  face  with  some  interesting  bit  of  the  historv  of  New  York.  The  histories  of  New  York 
are  all  excellent  in  their  way.  but  not  one,  we  presume  to  say.  has  dealt  with  its  people 
as  this  history  docs.  We  have  walked  into  the  people's  houses,  so  to  speak,  and  have 
become  intimate  with  them  as  no  ordinary  historian,  who  views  men  and  manners  afar 
off.  has  yet  thought  of  doing.  The  result  of  our  industry,  of  our  new  departure,  appears 
in  every  page.  The  fire  department  is  co-existent  with  the  first  Dutch  settlement.  It 
makes  us  acquainted  with  the  British  colonists  ;  it  carries  us  into  revolutionary  times ;  we 
are  borne  along  in  the  telling  of  its  story  to  those  piping  times  of  peace  when  the  onlv 
enemy  that  menaced  the  Empire  City  was  the  fire  fiend  or  the  importation  of  disease ;  it 
brings  us  up  to  the  stirring  political  times  that  for  thirty  years  preceded  the  rebellion,  and 
then  it  launches  us  into  those  years,  red  with  the  blood  of  contending  brothers,  and 
wherein  those  gallant  firemen  have  played  a  conspicuous  part.  The  experience  of  the 
firemen  has  been  of  use  to  the  architect  and  the  merchant.  Nearly  every  improvement  in 
the  way  of  building  lias  been  the  suggestion  of  men  who  have  seen  the  evil  effects 
of  old  methods  and  styles.  They  have  given  a  fillip  to  the  inventiveness  of  the  practical 
engineer,  and  have  helped  to  improve,  in  various  ways,  the  useful  arts.  Thus,  it  will 
be  seen,  that  no  one  who  is  ambitious  to  write  a  true  history  of  the  fire  department  can 
fail  of  writing  a  historv  of  New  York  City,  with  all  that  the  name  implies. 

What,  then,  would  Henry  Hudson,  the  intrepid  navigator,  when  he  landed  on  these 
shores,  have  thought  of  such  a  story,  had  the  enchanted  wand  of  some  wizard  transformed 
the  primeval  beauties  of  Manhattan  Island  into  the  panoramic  picture  which  it  presents 
to-day,  with  its  vast  population,  its  commercial  enterprises,  and  teeming  business  life? 
Surelv,  the  adventurous  skipper  of  the  "Vile-boat"  or  "Half  Moon"  would  have  thought 
it  impossible  in  the  period  of  two  and  three-quarters  of  a  century  such  a  metamorpho- 
sis could  have  taken  place.  Well  may  we  believe  that  he  lingered  with  enthusiastic  delight 
along  the  picturesque  shores  of  the  harbor  and  the  bay.  the  magnificence  of  the  scenery 


32 


being  such  as  to  cause  him  rapturously  to  exclaim.  "It  is  as  beautiful  a  land  as  the  foot  of 
•  man  can  tread  upon!" 

The  site  of  New  York  originally  presented  only  a  wild  and  rough  aspect,  covered 
with  a  thick  forest,  its  beach  broken  and  sandy,  or  rocky  and  full  of  inlets  forming 
marshes.  These  irregularities  of  surface  rendered  it  all  the  more  desirable  for  building 
purposes.  The  early  colonists  made  but  little  effort  to  overcome  or  remove  those  rude 
obstacles  of  nature  in  the  path  of  civilized  life. 

"A  more  forbidding  spot  on  earth,"  remarks  a  local  historian,  "on  which  to  erect  a 
great  city  has  seldom  been  seen  than  was  presented  in  the  original  ground  plan  of  the 
city  of  New  York;  and  in  rearing  a  city  on  such  a  foundation  the  builders  have  combined 
the  arts  of  the  stonecutters  of  ancient  Petraea  and  the  amphibious  labors  of  the  founders 
of  Venice  and  St.  Petersburg." 

Permanent  and  substantial  improvements  were  inaugurated  by  Governor  Stuyvesant. 
He  had  been  a  director  of  the  company's  colony  at  Curacoa,  where  he  lost  a  leg  in  an 
unsuccessful  attack  on  the  Portuguese  island  of  Saint  Martin.  Being  obliged  to  return 
to  Holland  for  surgical  aid,  the  directors,  in  recognition  of  his  "Roman  courage,"  sent 
him  to  New  Netherlands  as  "redresser-general"  of  all  abuses.  He  arrived  in  New  Am- 
sterdam in  the  middle  of  May,  1647,  and  found  the  colony  in  a  "low  condition."  The 
aspect  of  city  affairs  was  certainly  not  attractive.  Fences  were  straggling,  the  public 
ways  crooked,  and  many  of  the  houses,  which  were  chiefly  built  of  wood  and  thatched 
with  straw,  encroached  on  the  lines  of  the  streets. 

Fires  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  inflammable  materials  of  which  the  houses 
were  composed,  and  the  insufficient  means  of  extinguishing  the  flames,  led  to  great  anxiety 
and  insecurity,  and  a  corresponding  vigilance,  or  what  was  deemed  vigilance,  in  the  pre- 
vention of  fire.  As  the  houses  of  the  New  Amsterdamers  were  mostly  confined  to  the 
southern  point  of  the  island,  the  settlement  was  well  supplied  with  water  with  which  to  do 
battle  in  case  of  emergency.  Besides  being  within  easy  reach  of  the  waters  of  the  bay,  the 
East  and  North  Rivers,  a  stream  "deep  enough  for  market  boats"  to  ascend  flowed  in 
from  the  bay  through  the  centre  of  the  present  Broad  Street  as  far  as  Exchange  Place. 
Also,  there  was  generally  to  be  found  a  well  or  cistern  in  the  garden  of  each  house.  But 
this  abundant  supply  of  water  was  about  as  practical  a  factor  in  the  extinguishment  of 
fire  as  were  the  "oceans  of  water"  to  the  thirsty  mariners,  who,  neverthless,  had  "not  a 
drop  to  drink."  This  paradox  will  be  understood  when  it  is  stated  that  it  was  a  difficult 
matter  for  the  so-called  firemen  of  this  primitive  era  to  utilize  these  natural  sources  of 
supply,  and  still  more  difficult  of  accomplishment  to  transport  the  water  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  the  scene  of  the  conflagration.  The  water  had  to  be  carried  by  hand,  and 
"in  such  emergencies,"  remarked  the  Hon.  Charles  P.  Daly,  "we  may  imagine  the 
scene  of  confusion  that  must  have  ensued  when  tubs,  pails,  or  other  means  of  carrying 
water,  had  to  be  hastily  improvised  to  stay  the  progress  of  a  fire." 

This  state  of  affairs  was  not  destined  to  last  long.  It  was  the  first  period  of  fire 
organization.  Other  and  more  potent  methods  were,  however,  soon  to  be  inaugurated.  In 
order  to  introduce  these  methods,  the  city  fathers  of  those  days,  after  due  deliberation, 
and  as  a  result  of  their  combined  official  wisdom,  signed  the  doom  of  wooden  chimneys 
and  thatched  roofs,  while  four  fire  wardens  were  appointed  to  enforce  the  ordinance. 
This  was  the  first  step  in  the  right  direction  ;  other  plans  were  under  consideration,  and 
their  adoption  followed  in  good  time.  But  as  it  took  a  very  long  while  to  set  the  wheels 
of  Dutch  official  machinery  in  motion,  reforms  of  every  kind  were  slow  and  uncertain, 
and  the  easygoing  burghers  were  content  with  one  progressive  measure  at  a  time.  Hence 
it  came  to  pass  that  the  year  1648  was  a  memorable  one  in  the  annals  of  New  Amsterdam, 
for  it  was  then  that  the  first  fire  ordinance  was  passed.  Houses,  or  log  cabins,  had  been 
run  up  with  an  entire  disregard  to  the  alarming  possibilities  of  the  ravages  of  fire.  These 
rude  dwellings  were,  it  would  seem,  specially  constructed  with  a  view  to  their  speedily 
becoming  a  prey  to  the  devouring  element.  Wooden  chimneys  and  thatched  roofs  were 
certainly  not  designed  to  stay  the  fury  of  the  flames.  These  naturally  inflammable  ma- 
terials were  subjected  to  a  double  process  of  seasoning,  namely,  to  heat  within  and  the 
rays  of  the  sun  without.  Hence,  a  spark  ignited  them  and  a  flame  destroyed.  It  was 
in  this  year,  then  (1648),  that  a  system  of  fire  police  was  first  established,  the  immediate 
cause  of  which  was  the  happening  of  fires  in  two  places.  The  preamble  to  this  ordinance 
declares  that  "it  had  come  to  the  knowledge  of  his  excellence,  the  Director-General,  that 

?3 


A  GREATER  CAR  FOR  LESS  MONEY 

Mitchell  5  Passenger  Touring  Car  at  $1,350.00 


This  model  sold  in  1909  at  $1,500.  And  it  sold  like  hot 
cakes  in  all  parts  of  America.  Its  performances  under  all  con- 
ditions gave  it  a  reputation  that  will  last  for  years. 
A  finer  car  Any  man  who  owns  one  to-day  will  tell  you  un- 
at  a  lower  equivocally  that  the  car  never  had  a  fault  except 
price  the  noise  of  its  valves,  and  that  wasn't  a  fault- 

it  was  merely  an  incident.  This  car  earned  its 
reputation  and  popularity  solely  by  what  it  did  and  not  by  what 
we  said  about  it. 

■  THIS  YEAR  IT  IS  AN    ENTIRELY   NEW   CAR -A 
GREATER.  ROOMIER,  EASIER  RIDING,  MORE  POWER- 
FUL AND  MORE  BEAUTIFUL  CAR.  YET  IT 
Silent  as        IS  OFFERED  AT  EXACTLY  $1  50  LESS  THAN 
the  Foot        IN  1909.    THIS  IS  THE  DIRECT  RESULT  OF 
of  Time         INCREASED  FACILITIES  and  the  COMPLE- 
TION of  our  WONDERFUL  NEW  FACTORY. 
The  lines  of  the  car  have  been  changed  from  the  mediocre 
to  the  beautiful.    They  are  artistic,  graceful,  refined.     The  noise 
has  entirely  disappeared,  so  that  now  the  car  is  Silent  as  the  Foot 
of  Time.    Horsepower  has  been  increased.    Wheel  base  has 
been  lengthened  and  wheel  diameter   increased.     The  low 
broad  radiator  has  given  way  to  one  of  richer  design  and  spring 
suspension  so  changed  and  improved  that  the  easy  riding  qual- 
ities of  the  car  are  enhanced  ten  fold. 


THIS  CAR  (likewise  our  other  two  models)  will  take  its 
place  in  the  very  highest-class  company   this  year  and  main- 
tain it  beyond  the  shadow  of  doubt. 

Every  part  Specifications  for  Model  'T' — 4  cylinder,  30-35 
now  made  horsepower;  JXtotor,  4'.>x5.  Transmission,  select- 
in  our  own  ive.  Wheels,  34  x  3V? .  Wheel  Base,  I  12  inches, 
factory  Ignition,  magneto  and  dry  cells.    Color,  dark  blue. 

cream  running  gear  or  maroon  and  cream  running 
gear.  Tool  Boxes,  steel.  Seating  Capacity,  five  passengers. 
Steering  Wheel,  natural  finish.  Springs,  three-quarter  elliptic. 
Body  Options,  five  passenger  touring  or  close  coupled  body. 
Equipment,  oil  lamps  and  horn,  full  tool  equipment  including  a 
jack. 

Attention  called  to  the  creation  of  the  Mitchell  Six — a  de- 
velopment of  the  1909  four-cylinder  40  horsepower  car.  This 
year  it  is  a  six-cylinder  50  horsepower;   130  inch 
Creation        wheel  base— yet  there  is  no  increase  in  the  price 
of  the  of  $2,000.    This  is  the  only  six-cylinder  car  in 

Mitchell  Six  existence  that  sells  for  as  little  money  as  $2,000 
$2,000.00      and  is  highest  class  in  every  detail. 

Don't  overlook  the  Mitchell  Roadster— 30-35^ 
horsepower,  wheel  base  of  100  inches,  4  cylinders,  3  passen- 
gers— the  smartest  roadster  in  the  market  at  $1,100. 


THE  CAR  YOU  OUGHT  TO  HAVE  AT  THE  PRICE  YOU  OUGHT  TO  PAY 


34 


certain  careless  persons  were  in  the  habit  of  neglecting  to  clean  their  chimneys  by  sweep- 
ing, and  of  paying  no  attention  to  their  fires,  whereby  lately  fires  have  been  discovered 
in  two  houses."  Mention  is  made  of  the  fact  that  the  danger  of  fire  is  greater  as  the 
number  of  houses  increases,  particularly  as  the  majority  of  these  houses  were  built  of 
wood  and  covered  with  reeds,  while  some  of  the  houses,  it  is  pointed  out,  had  wooden 
chimneys,  "which  is  very  dangerous."  Therefore  it  is  declared  to  be  advisable  and 
highly  necessary  to  look  closely  into  the  matte r. 

From  this  time  forth  it  is  ordered  no  wooden  or  plated  chimneys  shall  be  permitted 
to  be  built  in  any  houses  between  the  Fort  and  the  Fresh  Water,  but  that  those  already 
standing  shall  be  suffered  to  remain  during  the  good  pleasure  of  the  fire  wardens.  To 
the  end  that  the  foregoing  may  be  duly  observed,  the  following  persons  were  appointed 
fire  wardens  :  From  the  Council,  the  Commissary,  Adrian  Keyser ;  and  from  the  Com- 
monalty, Thomas  Hall,  Martin  Krieger,  and  George  Woolsey.  They,  in  their  turn,  it 
is  stipulated,  shall  visit  all  the  houses  in  the  city,  between  the  Fort  and  the  Fresh  Water, 


Scene  at  a  fire,  Year  1730 

and  shall  inspect  the  chimneys  whether  they  be  kept  clean  by  sweeping,  and  as  often  as 
any  shall  be  discovered  to  be  foul  they  shall  condemn  them,  and  the  owners  shall  im- 
mediately, without  any  gainsaying,  pay  the  fine  of  three  guilders  for  each  chimney  thus 
condemned — to  be  appropriated  to  the  maintenance  of  fire  ladders,  hooks,  and  buckets, 
which  shall  be  provided  and  procured  the  first  opportunity.  And  in  case  the  houses  of 
any  persons  shall  be  burned,  or  be  on  fire,  either  through  his  own  negligence  or  his  own 
fire,  he  shall  be  mulcted  in  the  penalty  of  twenty-five  guilders,  to  be  appropriated  as  afore- 
said. 

The  appointment  of  these  fire  wardens  may  be  regarded  as  the  initiatory  effort  to 
establish  a  system  of  protection  against  fire.  They  are  the  first  fire  functionaries,  and  as 
such  it  is  interesting  to  learn  something  about  them  beyond  their  names.  Martin  Krieger 
was  the  proprietor  of  a  famous  tavern  opposite  Bowling  Green.  At  a  later  period,  when 
the  city  was  incorporated  and  a  municipal  government  formed,  he  was  a  member  of 
Governor  Stuyvesant's  council,  and  from  this  time  until  the  capture  of  the  city  by  the 


35 


British  he  filled  many  important  offices.  Thomas  Hall  was  an  Englishman.  Having  heen 
captured  by  the  Dutch  and  paroled,  he  took  up  his  residence  among  his  friendly  captors, 
and  in  time  became  a  man  of  wealth,  filling  many  public  offices.  He  owned  .  large  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  Spruce  and  Beekman  Streets.  This  farm  in  later  years  passed  into  the 
hands  of  William  Beekman,  the  ancestor  of  the  Beekman  family.  Adrian  Keyser  was 
officially  connected  with  the  Dutch  West  India  Company,  by  whom  the  New  Netherlands 
was  founded.  He  was  afterwards  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council.  George  Woolsey, 
like  Thomas  Hall,  was  an  Englishman.  He  came  out  as  the  agent  of  Isaac  Allerton,  a 
leading  Dutch  trader.  The  descendants  of  these  men  are,  to  this  day,  honored  residents 
of  this  city. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1657  the  need  of  regular  leather  fire  buckets  was 
much  felt.  None  existed  in  the  colony,  and  the  thought  of  manufacturing  them  them- 
selves was  too  visionary  and  impracticable  to  be  entertained  just  then.  As  the  Father- 
land was  depended  upon  to  furnish  nearly  all  the  artificial  necessaries  of  life,  it  was 
decided  to  send  to  Holland  for  the  buckets,  as  specified  in  the  following  resolution: 

WHEREAS,  in  all  well-regulated  cities  it  is  customary  that  fire  buckets,  ladders,  and 
hooks  are  in  readiness  at  the  corners  of  the  streets  and  in  public  houses,  for  time  of  need ; 
which  is  the  more  necessary  in  this  city  on  account  of  the  small  number  of  stone  houses 
and  the  many  wooden  houses  here :  therefore,  the  Director-General  and  Councillors  do 
authorize  the  Burgomasters  and  Schepens  of  this  city,  either  personally  or  through  their 
treasurer,  to  demand  immediately  for  every  house,  whether  small  or  great,  one  beaver  or 
eight  guilders  in  sewant ;  and  to  procure  from  Fatherland,  out  of  the  sum  collected  in 
this  manner,  two  hundred  and  fifty  leathern  fire  buckets,  and  also  to  have  made  some 
fire  ladders  and  fire  hooks ;  and  to  maintain  this  establishment,  they  may  yearly  demand 
for  every  chimney  one  guilder. 

This  tax  was  promptly  collected  by  the  city  authorities,  but  the  much  coveted  fire 
buckets  were  still  beyond  the  reach  of  the  city  fathers.  The  resolution,  quoted  above, 
looking  to  the  mother  country  for  their  procurement  was  reconsidered,  as  it  would  take  a 
long  time  before  they  could  have  reached  this  country.  So.  after  waiting  some  months, 
it  was  decided  to  invoke  the  aid  of  the  city  shoemakers.  But  the  shoemakers  of  those 
primitive  clays  lacked  confidence  in  their  ability  to  perform  the  task  assigned  them.  Four 
out  of  the  seven  Knights  of  St.  Crispin  responded  to  the  call  to  meet  the  city  fathers  in 
solemn  and  serious  conclave.  The  date  of  the  meeting  was  the  first  of  August,  1658. 
The  views  of  each  shoemaker  was  solicited.  The  first  declined  "the  arduous  under- 
taking," the  second  declared  he  had  no  material :  the  third,  more  enterprising,  proposed 
to  contract  to  make  one  hundred  buckets  for  the  consideration  of  six  guilders  and  two 
stuyvers  each  (about  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents),  the  fourth,  after  much  persuasion, 
consented  to  make  the  remaining  fifty  upon  the  same  terms. 

These  are  the  terms  agreed  upon  : 

Remout  Remoutzen  agrees  to  make  the  said  buckets  all  out  of  tanned  leather,  and  to 
do  all  that  is  necessary  to  finish  them  in  the  completest  manner  for  the  price  of  six  guilders 
two  stuyvers  each  (about  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  each),  half  sewant.  half  beavers,  a 
fourth  part  of  the  half  beavers  to  be  "passable."  three-fourths  whole  beavers :  on  these 
conditions  he  is  to  make  one  hundred  buckets,  which  he  promises  to  do  between  this  and 
All-Saints'  Day.    Adrian  Van  Lair,  on  the  same  terms,  to  make  fifty  buckets. 

But  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day.  and  at  the  end  of  six  months  from  the  date  of  the 
above  agreement,  that  is  to  say.  on  the  twentieth  of  January  following,  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  leather  buckets  were  delivered  at  the  Stadt  House,  where  fifty  of  the  number 
were  deposited. 

The  burning  of  a  small  log  house  on  a  bluff  overlooking  the  bay,  where  Castle  Garden 
now  stands,  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  first  fire  company  in  1658.  This  organization, 
disrespectfully  dubbed  the  "Prowlers."  consisted  of  eight  men,  furnished  with  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  buckets,  hooks,  and  small  ladders,  and  each  of  its  members  was  expected 
to  walk  the  streets  from  nine  o'clock  at  night  until  morning  drum-beat,  watching  for  fire 
while  the  town  slumbered. 

This  company  was  organized  by  ambitious  young  men,  and  was  known  as  the  "rattle- 
watch."  It  was  soon  increased  to  fifty  members,  and  did  duty  from  nine  p.  M.  until  sun- 
rise, all  the  citizens  who  could  be  roused  from  their  beds  assisting  in  case  of  fire.  One  of 
the  first  fire  buckets  is  still  preserved  by  James  Van  Amburgh  of  Westchester  County, 

36 


whose  ancester  was  one  of  these  early  firemen.  The  first  serious  fire  had  occurred  the 
year  before,  in  1657.  when  Sam  Baxter's  house  caught  fire — from  a  blazing  log  which 
rolled  out  of  the  fireplace  during  the  night — and  was  completely  consumed.  It  was  re- 
garded as  the  handsomest  dwelling  in  the  settlement  of  the  early  Dutch,  and  its  destruc- 
tion gave  the  needed  impetus  for  the  organization  of  a  fire  company.  Even  the  veteran 
firemen  who  still  survive  would  laugh  if  they  would  read  the  manner  in  which  these  early 
fire  laddies  undertook  to  provide  against  conflagrations.  One  of  the  rules  was  that  each 
citizen  of  New  Amsterdam  was  required  to  fill  three  buckets  with  water  after  sunset, 
and  place  them  on  his  doorstep  for  the  use  of  the  fire  patrol  in  case  of  need.  Another 
Dutch  ordinance  directed  that  ten  buckets  should  be  filled  with  water  at  the  town  pump, 
"wen  ye  sun  go  down,"  and  these  were  to  be  left  in  a  rack  provided  for  that  purpose,  so 
that  the  members  of  the  "rattle-watch"  could  readily  lay  their  hands  upon  them,  "if  ye 
fyer  does  go  further  yan  ye  efforts  of  ye  men  and  call  for  water." 

When  the  fire  was  extinguished,  the  buckets  of  the  citizens  that  had  been  used  were 
thrown  in  a  great  heap  on  the  common,  and  the  town-crier,  mounting  a  barrel,  shouted 
lustily  for  each  bucket  proprietor  to  come  and  claim  his  own.    As  the  stirring  nasal  cry, 

Hear  ye  !    O  !    I  pray  ye, 
Lord  masters  claim  3'our  buckets," 
penetrated  to  the  suburbs  of  the  town,  boys  ran  from  all  directions,  and  fought  savagely 
on  the  grass  at  the  crier's  feet,  to  see  who  should  carry  home  the  buckets  belonging  to 
rich  men,  knowing  that  the  reward  would  be  a  cake  or  a  glass  of  wine,  or  a  small  coin. 

The  prevention  of  fire  was  a  subject  which  caused  much  anxiety  and  unremitting  at- 
tention. To  see  that  the  ordinances  were  carried  out.  frequent  examinations  were  made 
of  the  chimneys  and  houses.  These  precautions  caused  much  annoyance  to  the  order- 
loving  Dutch  matrons,  who,  doubtless,  regarded  such  visits  as  an  intrusion.  The  worthy 
fire  functionaries  found  their  zeal  but  ill-requitted.  They  were  often  insulted  and  abused, 
but  they  bore  it  all  with  true  Dutch  fortitude,  until  their  female  persecutors  called  them 
"chimney  sweeps."  This  was  the  crowning  indignity,  and  not  to  be  bourne.  Retaliatory 
measures  were  adopted.  The  goede  vrowws  were  summoned  before  the  magistrates  and 
fined  for  their  discourteous  conduct.  This,  it  seems,  did  not  mend  matters,  for  the  office 
of  fire  warden  fell  into  disuse,  and  the  ordinance  became  a  dead  letter. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  January,  1674,  there  was  a  meeting  of  civic  officials  in  regard  to 
fire  matters.  There  were  present  Captain  Kynff,  on  behalf  of  the  Honorable  Governor ; 
Antony  De  Mill,  schout :  Johannes  De  Peyster,  Johannes  Van  Brough.  and  Aegidius 
Luyck,  burgomasters  ;  William  Beekman,  Jeronimus  Ebbingh,  Jacob  Kipp,  Lourens  Van 
der  Speigill,  and  Guilame  Ver  Planck,  schepens.  At  this  meeting  the  fire  wardens  pre- 
sented a  written  report  of  the  number  of  fire  buckets  and  other  implements  "found  by 
them  to  be  provided."  The}'  made  a  demand  for  an  additional  supply  of  the  implements, 
"requesting  that  this  court  will  be  pleased  to  order  that  such  fire  hooks  and  ladders  as 
are  necessary  may  be  made." 

The  importance  of  taking  precautions  against  the  happening  conflagrations  was  recog- 
nized in  many  ways,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  ordinances  framed  and  the  measures  adopted 
from  time  to  time.  On  the  sixteenth  of  February,  1676,  all  persons  having  any  of  the 
city's  ladders,  buckets  or  hooks,  in  their  custody,  were  called  upon  to  immediately  deliver 
them  to  the  mayor.  It  was  also  ordered  that  wells  be  dug,  as  follows :  "One  in  the  street 
over  against  the  house  of  Fowliff  Johnson's,  the  butcher ;  another  in  the  broadway  against 
Mr.  Vandicke's  ;  another  in  the  street  over  against  Derrick  Smith's ;  another  in  the  street 
over  against  the  house  of  John  Cavildore ;  another  in  the  yard  or  rear  of  the  Cytie  Hall ; 
another  in  the  street  over  against  Cornelius  Van  Borsum's."  On  the  twenty-eighth  of 
February  there  was  published  a  list  of  persons  that  had  "noe  chimneys,  or  not  fitt  to  kcepe 
fire  in,"  and  an  order  was  issued  by  the  mayor  and  aldermen  calling  upon  these  delin- 
quents to  cause  suitable  chimneys  to  be  built  without  delay.  In  January  of  the  following 
year  John  Dooly  and  John  Vorrickson  Meyer  were  appointed  to  inspect  all  the  chimneys 
and  fire  hearths  in  the  city,  and  on  the  fifteenth  of  March.  1683,  a  law  was  enacted  em- 
powering the  appointment  of  viewers  and  searchers  (fire  wardens)  of  chimneys  and  fire 
hearths,  to  report  to  the  mayor  and  aldermen,  who  could  impose  a  fine  not  exceeding 
twenty  shillings  for  each  default;  prohibiting  the  laying  of  straw,  hay.  or  other  com- 
bustible matter  in  their  dwelling  houses,  or  places  adjoining  the  same,  "but  at  a  distance 
from  their  houses  and  the  street:  and  providing  for  hooks,  ladders  and  buckets,  to  be  kept 


37 


NEW  MODEL  No.  8 


BLICKENSDERFER 


TYPEWRITER 


Is  equipped  with  DECIMAL  TABULATOR 

for  which  no  extra  charge  is  made. 

Also  has  Back  Spacer,  Visible  Writing,  Direct  Inking  and  Printing,  Inter- 
changeable Type,  (allowing  the  use  of  different  languages  or  styles  on  the 
same  machine )  Powerful  Manifolder,  Very  Portable. 


THREE  MODELS 
No.  5,  $40.  No.  7,  $50.  No.  8,  $60. 


ALL  FULLY  GUARANTEED. 


SEND    FOR    CATALOG  71 


The  Blickensderfer  Mfg.  Co., 

Stamford,  Conn. 


NEW  YORK  OFFICE: 

240  BROADWAY 


38 


in  convenient  places ;"  and,  further,  that  "if  any  person  should  suffer  his  chimney  to  be 
on  fire  he  should  pay  the  sum  of  fifteen  shillings." 

A  public  chimney-sweep  was  appointed  for  the  city  (1685),  who  was  to  cry  his  ap- 
proach through  the  public  streets,  and  who  probably  originated  the  whoop  peculiar  to  his 
vocation.  His  rates  were  fixed  by  law  at  a  shilling  and  eighteen  pence  per  chimney, 
according  to  the  height  of  the  house. 

Great  damage  seems  to  have  been  done  by  fire  in  January  1686.  The  Common  Coun- 
cil, at  a  meeting  held  on  February  28  of  that  year,  referred  to  the  absence  of  means  for 
the  extinguishment  of  fires,  and  it  was  ordered  that  every  inhabitant  whose  dwelling- 
house  had  two  chimneys  should  provide  one  bucket,  and  for  more  than  two  chimneys, 
two  buckets ;  that  all  brewers  possess  five  buckets  apiece,  and  all  bakers  three,  said  buck- 
ets to  be  provided  before  September  25th  ensuing,  under  a  penalty  of  neglect  of  five 
shillings  for  each  bucket.  Five  years  later,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  November,  1691,  this 
order  was  re-enacted.  But  there  were  added  the  stipulations  that  the  buckets  should  be 
provided  by  the  occupants,  and  the  cost  thereof  allowed  them  by  the  landlord  out  of  the 
rent,  and  "every  man  to  marke  the  bucketts  with  the  letters  of  his  landlord's  name,  upon 


FIRE  APPARATUS  USED  DURING  YEAR  1760 

forfeiture  of  six  shillings,  for  the  use  of  the  city  to  be  paid  by  the  tenant  on  default," 
etc.    The  mayor  was  empowered  to  acquit  "poore  people"  of  the  penalty. 

At  the  same  time,  Derrick  Vandeburgh,  John  Rose,  Snert  Olphite,  and  Garret  Rose 
were  appointed  to  "goe  round  the  towne  and  view  each  fireplace  and  chimney,  that  they 
be  sufficient  and  clean  swept,"  with  the  penalty  of  three  shillings  and  sixpence  to  each 
inhabitant  for  each  defect. 

A  fire  occurred  in  that  part  of  the  town  called  the  "Fly"  in  February,  1692,  at  which 
several  buckets  were  lost.  Complaints  reached  the  mayor  that  people  of  thievish  propensi- 
ties had  appropriated  them,  whereupon  His  Honor  issued  an  order  directing  the  crier 
to  give  notice  around  the  city  that  the  stolen  buckets  be  taken  to  the  mayor  immediately 
so  that  they  might  be  restored  to  their  owners.  Other  appliances  besides  buckets  had 
been  thought  of.  Two  years  before  the  fire  in  the  "Fly,"  five  "brant  masters"  (fire 
wardens)  had  been  appointed  on  January  4,  1690.  These  fire  wardens  were:  Peter  Adolf, 
Derek  van  der  Brincke,  Derek  ten  Eyk,  Jacob  Borlen,  and  Tobeyas  Stoutenburgh,  and 
it  has  been  ordered  that  five  ladders  be  made  and  provided  for  service  at  fires,  with 
sufficient  hooks  therefor. 

Additional  precautions  were  now  taken  against  occurrence  of  fires.    In  1607,  the 


59 


aldermen  and  assistant  aldermen  were  authorized  to  appoint  two  persons  as  fire  wardens 
in  every  ward.  The  penalty  of  three  shillings  was  imposed  for  the  neglect  to  remedy 
defective  flues  and  hearths — one-half  to  the  city  and  one-half  to  the  wardens — and  if  a 
chimney  should  take  fire  after  notice  had  been  given  to  clean  it,  the  occupant  was  mulcted 
in  the  sum  of  forty  shillings.  This  is  the  first  record  of  a  paid  fire  department  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  The  system  had  advanced  beyond  the  limits  of  "viewers"  and  "over- 
seers," and  had  reached  a  point  where  something  like  organization  was  effected,  and 
arrangements  completed  for  paying,  fining  and  discharging  the  men,  who  were  obliged 
to  view  the  chimneys  and  hearths  once  a  week.  In  short,  a  more  prompt  and  systematic 
performance  of  duty  was  required. 

The  practice  of  having  every  house  supplied  with  fire  buckets  now  became  general, 
and  was  continued  long  after  the  introduction  of  the  fire  engines.  The  manner  in  which 
an  alarm  was  given  in  the  night  time  is  graphically  told  by  tin-  Hon.  Charles  P.  Daly: 
"If  a  fire  broke  out  at  night,"  he  says,  "the  watchman  gave  the  alarm  with  his  rattle,  and 
knocked  at  the  doors  of  the  houses,  with  the  cry,  'Throw  out  your  buckets!'  the  alarm 
being  further  spread  by  the  ringing  of  the  bell  at  the  fort  and  by  the  bells  in  the  steeples 
of  the  different  churches.  When  the  inmates  of  a  house  were  aroused,  the  first  act  was  to 
throw  out  the  buckets  in  the  street,  which  were  of  sole  leather,  holding  about  three  gallons, 
and  were  also  hung  in  the  passage  close  to  the  street  door.  They  were  picked  by  those 
who  were  hastening  to  the  fire,  it  being  the  general  custom  for  nearly  every  householder  to 
hurry  to  the  fire — whether  by  day  or  by  night — and  render  his  assistance.  As  soon  as 
possible  two  lines  were  formed  from  the  fire  to  the  nearest  well  pump,  and  when  they 
gave  out  the  line  was  carried  to  the  next  one  or  to  the  river.  The  one  line  passed  up  the 
full  buckets,  and  the  empty  ones  were  passed  down  the  other  line.  No  one  was  permitted 
to  break  through  those  lines,  and  if  any  one  attempted  to  do  so,  and  would  not  fall  in  and 
lend  a  helping  hand,  a  bucket  of  water  or  several  were  instantly  thrown  over  him.  Each 
bucket  was  marked  with  the  name  or  number  of  the  owner,  and,  when  the  fire  was  over, 
they  were  all  collected  together  and  taken  in  a  cart,  belonging  to  the  city,  to  the  City 
Hall.  A  bellman  then  went  round  to  announce  that  the  buckets  were  ready  for  delivery, 
when  each  householder  sent  for  his  bucket,  and,  when  recovered,  hung  it  up  in  the  alloted 
place,  ready  for  the  next  emergency." 

The  first  attempt  to  light  the  streets  was  made  in  November,  1697. 

During  this  period  (1697)  a  night  watch  was  established,  composed  of  "four  good 
and  honest  inhabitants  of  the  city,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  watch  in  the  night  time,  from 
the  hour  of  nine  in  the  evening  till  break  of  day,  until  the  twenty-fifth  of  March  next; 
and  to  go  round  the  city,  each  hour  of  the  night,  with  a  bell,  and  there  to  proclaim  the 
season  of  the  weather  and  the  hour  of  the  night." 

Four  able-bodied  men  were  appointed  watch  and  bellmen  for  the  city  in  T702,  from 
November  1  to  April  t  following.  They  were  to  go,  every  hour  of  the  night,  through  the 
several  streets,  publishing  the  time  of  the  night:  to  apprehend  disturbers  of  the  peace 
etc.,  and  to  see  that  no  damage  be  done  by  fires.  A  lantern,  bell  and  hour-glass  were  pro- 
vided for  them  by  the  city. 

The  Common  Council,  on  the  sixth  of  November.  1703,  ordered  that  the  aldermen  of 
each  ward  should  command  the  respective  constables  therein  to  make  a  house  to  house 
inspection,  to  ascertain  whether  the  number  of  fire  buckets  required  by  law  were  kept  on 
hand,  and  to  present  the  delinquents  for  prosecution. 

New  and  more  stringent  regulations  were  now  passed  in  respect  to  fires ;  the  fire 
wardens  were  directed  to  keep  strict  watch  of  all  hearths  and  chimneys  within  the  city, 
and  to  see  that  the  fire  buckets  were  hung  up  in  their  right  places  throughout  the  wards, 
and  two  hooks  and  eight  ladders  were  purchased  at  the  public  expense  for  the  use  of  the 
fire  department. 

This  system  prevailed,  with  slight  modifications,  until  the  introduction  of  the  hand 
engines  from  London. 

A  law  for  the  better  prevention  of  fire  was  published  at  the  City  Hall  on  November 
8,  1731.  After  the  customary  ringing  of  three  bells,  and  a  proclamation  had  been  made 
for  silence,  it  provided  for  the  oppointing  of  "viewers  of  chimneys  and  hearths,"  to  make 
monthly  inspections ;  the  fine  of  three  shillings  for  neglecting  the  directions  of  the  fire 
wardens,  re-enacting  the  fine  of  fortv  shTiings  for  chimneys  on  fire,  and  establishing  a 
like  fine  for  "viewers"  who  should  refuse  to  serve,  and  a  fine  of  six  shillings  for  neglect 


40 


of  duty ;  providing  for  the  obtainment  of  hooks,  ladders  and  buckets,  and  fire  engines,  to 
be  kept  in  convenient  places ;  for  leather  buckets  to  be  kept  in  every  house ;  a  penalty  for 
not  possessing  the  required  number  of  buckets,  and  a  fine  for  detaining  other  men's 
buckets. 

The  year  1731  was  the  beginning  of  a  memorable  epoch  in  the  history  of  New  York 
and  its  famous  fire  department.  Then  came  into  use  the  new  hand  fire  engines.  Then 
was  laid  the  foundation  of  that  gallant,  emuluous,  and  self-sacrificing  body  of  volunteers, 
the  record  of  whose  deeds  will  read  to  posterity  like  an  old  romance.  Just  as  the  chroni- 
cles of  the  doughty  Crusaders  touch  the  hearts  of  the  youth  of  to-day,  so  will  the  history 
of  the  achievements  of  the  old  volunteer  companies  of  the  Empire  City  fire  the  bosoms  of 
generations  to  come.  This  year  saw  the  nucleus  of  a  fine  body  of  athletic  men,  ever  ready 
to  risk  life  and  limb  for  the  public  weal.  Soon  were  to  be  identified  with  some  primitive 
engines,  names  that  will  live  forever  in  our  history,  such  as  the  Harpers,  the  Macys,  the 
Townsends,  the  Goelets,  William  H.  Appleton,  Zophar  Mills,  George  T.  Hope,  Marshall 
O.  Roberts,  and  James  Kelly.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  era  of  the  clattering  machine, 
with  its  rushing,  shouting,  bold  and  dashing  attendants,  as  ready  to  fight  their  fellows 
for  the  place  of  honor  in  the  hour  of  danger  as  the  devouring  flames  themselves. 
On  the  sixth  of  May,  1731,  the  city  authorities  passed  the  following  resolution: 
Resolved,  With  all  convenient  speed  to  procure  two  complete  fire  engines,  with  suc- 
tions and  materials  thereto  belonging,  for  the  public  service  ;  that  the  sizes  thereof  be  of 
the  fourth  and  sixth  sizes  of  Mr.  Newsham's  fire  engines,  and  that  Mr.  Mayor,  Alderman 
Cruger.  Alderman  Rutgers,  and  Alderman  Roosevelt,  or  any  of  them,  be  a  committee  to 
agree  with  some  proper  merchant  to  send  to  London  for  the  same  by  the  first  conveni- 
ency,  and  report  upon  what  terms  the  said  fire  engines,  etc.,  will  be  delivered  to  this 
corporation. 

The  committee  named  reported  at  a  meeting  of  the  Common  Council,  held  on  June 
12,  173 1,  that  they  had  proposed  to  Messrs.  Stephen  De  Lancey  and  John  Moore,  mer- 
chants, to  send  for  two  fire  engines  to  London,  by  the  ship  Beaver,  of  Mr.  Newsham's 
new  invention  of  the  fourth  and  sixth  sizes,  with  suctions,  leathern  pipes,  and  caps,  and 
other  materials  ;  and  that  those  gentlemen  had  undertaken  to  purchase  and  deliver  them 
to  the  corporation  at  an  advance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  per  cent,  on  the  foot  of  the 
invoice  (exclusive  of  insurance  and  commissions),  and  that  the  money  should  be  paid 
for  the  same  within  nine  months  after  the  delivery  of  the  same. 

Towards  the  close  of  November,  1731,  the  good  ship  Beaver  was  sighted  off  port, 
and  on  December  1  workmen  commenced  to  fit  up  "a  convenient  room"  in  the  new  City 
Hall  for  securing  the  fire  engines,  and  on  the  fourteenth,  the  engines  being  in  the  mean- 
while landed  and  "secured,"  a  committee  was  appointed  to  have  them  cleaned  and  the 
leathers  oiled  and  put  into  boxes  ready  for  immediate  use. 

"The  importation  of  the  city  of  these  fire  engines,"  says  the  Hon.  Charles  P.  Daly 
in  his  valuable  treatise  on  "The  Origin  and  History  of  the  New  York  Fire  Depart- 
ment." "was  an  incident  of  no  ordinary  importance.  There  was  no  subject  upon  which 
at  that  time  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  felt  a  deeper  interest  than  the  most  effectual  means 
of  distinguishing  fires,  for  the  loss  of  property  by  conflagration  was  a  calamity  to  which 
the  city  from  its  first  settlement  had  been  particularly  exposed." 

These  engines  were  designated  as  No.  1  aud  No.  2.  They  were  located  in  separate 
sheds,  in  the  rear  of  the  City  Hall,  No.  1  on  the  east  side  of  the  building,  and  No.  2  on 
the  west  side,  facing  King  Street,  now  Nassau. 

The  aldermen  and  the  assistant  aldermen  were  in  charge  of  the  apparatus  in  those 
days,  and  they  were  called  overseers.  The  mayor  and  aldermen  took  charge  at  fires,  the 
public  at  large  being  compelled  to  do  fire  duty.  No  one  over  twenty-one  years  of  age 
was  exempt,  and  for  a  refusal  to  do  duty  they  were  liable  to  a  fine  of  one  pound  or  five 
dollars. 

When  the  two  engines  were  received  by  the  city  from  London,  they  were  a  great 
curiosity,  the  people  being  fully  as  much  interested  as  when  silver  coinages  were 
brought  out. 

Peter  Rutger,  a  brewer  and  an  assistant  alderman  of  the  North  Ward,  was  the  first 
man  that  ever  had  charge  of  a  fire  engine  on  Manhattan  Island,  and  John  Rosevelt,  a 
merchant,  was  the  second. 

In  1677  the  city  contained  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  houses:  in  1603  the  mini- 


41 


Compliments 

of 


The  Metropolitan 
Opera  and  Real 
Estate  Company 

and  the 

Metropolitan 
Opera  Co. 


42 


S3  ^J, 
&  C 

Q  E 

i—  ra 

E 

D  Q  en 

J=  ° 

53   1)  >- 

ill 

m-  :™  v— ' 

o  U_  i_ 

_o   °  >> 

'<n  s 

en  -C 

<"  -=  y 

en  f  -1  (/) 

en  {J 

©  c 

O.    en  -C 

—    CD  O 

■S  «-> 


»  £  « 

aj  i/i  « 

>-    >-  " 

go  q 


3  -£ 

o 

>• 

w  —  > 

C/5  oo 

>  ?  « 

i s  - 

£  v 

3 

■C 
CO 


o 

03  i_ 

fcv,  « 
2.  ^ 

p.  o 

">  ^! 


£  Q- 


.S  c75 

c  o 
UJ 
u 


43 


HENRY  L.  CRAFTS 


MATTHEW  R.  D  AMORA 


TELEPHONE,  8514  RIVERSIDE 

C.  &  D.  GARAGE 


\  UTOMOBILES 

I 

Bought 

Sold  and 

Repaired 

9-11  West  100th  Street   ::   New  York 

(  Central  Park  West  ) 


ber  was  five  hundred  and  ninety-four ;  in  1696  it  was  put  down  at  seven  hundred  and 
fifty ;  and  when  the  two  fire  engines  arrived  from  London,  the  population  of  the  city 
was  eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-eight,  and  the  number  of  houses  was  about 
one  thousand  two  hundred. 

Up  to  this  time,  as  has  been  shown,  the  only  means  of  extinguishing  fire  was  the 
carrying  of  water  in  buckets  and  the  use  of  ladders  and  fire  hooks.  These  primitive  ap- 
pliances, however,  were  more  effective  instruments  as  fire  apparatus  than  might  be  in- 
ferred in  view  of  the  vast  and  ingenious  mechanical  appliances  and  machinery  in  use  at 
the  present  day.  Architecture  had  not  then,  as  now,  taken  the  same  ambitious  flight 
The  buildings  originally  were  chiefly  of  one  story,  and  few  houses  exceeded  two  stories. 
The  first  three  story  house  put  up  in  the  city  was  erected  in  the  year  1696,  in  Pearl 
Street,  opposite  Cedar  Street,  and  was  built  by  a  member  of  the  Depeyster  family. 

The  experience  of  the  past  had  doubtless  pointed  out  the  necessity  of  putting  the  en- 
gines in  charge  of  some  competent  and  skillful  person,  and,  accordingly,  on  the  twenty- 
first  of  January  following,  the  mayor  and  four  aldermen  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
employ  workmen  to  put  them  in  good  order,  and  to  engage  persons  by  the  year  to  keep 
them  in  repair  and  to  work  them  when  necessary.  Anthony  Lamb  was  accordingly 
appointed  overseer,  or,  as  the  office  was  afterwards  called,  chief  engineer,  at  a  salary  of 
twelve  dollars  a  year,  and  he  and  the  persons  employed  by  the  year  under  him  may  be 
said  to  have  been  the  first  regularly  organized  fire  department.  The  sheds  fitted  up  for 
these  two  engines  in  the  rear  of  the  City  Hal  would  not  seem  to  have  been  sufficiently 
commodious,  and.  accordingly,  in  1736,  the  corporation  ordered  a  convenient  house  to  be 
built  "contiguous  to  the  watch  house  in  Broad  Street,  for  their  security  and  well  keeping." 
This  building,  the  first  engine  house  in  the  city,  was  in  the  middle  of  Broad  Street,  half 
way  between  Wall  Street  and  Exchange  Place.  The  watch  house  stood  at  the  head  of 
Broad  Street,  and  immediately  behind  it,  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  this  engine  house 
was  built.  Lamb  held  the  office  of  chief  engineer  until  1736,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Jacob  Turk,  a  gunsmith,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  considerable  skill  and 
ingenuity. 

Fire  engines  were  built  and  for  sale  in  this  city  six  years  after  their  first  introduction, 
as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  advertisement  from  the  New  York  Gazette,  May  9,  1737: 

"A  fire  engine,  that  will  deliver  two  hogsheads  of  water  in  a  minute,  in  a  continual 
stream,  is  to  be  sold  by  William  Lindsay,  the  maker  thereof.  Inquire  at  Fighting  Cocks, 
next  door  to  the  Exchange  Coffee  House,  New  York." 

The  engines  were  being  constantly  changed  from  one  ward  to  another  to  please  the 
aldermen.  If  an  alderman  or  an  assistant  could  get  an  engine  located  in  his  ward,  it 
was  a  big  thing,  and  the  friends  of  the  alderman  would  freely  build  a  house  to  put  it  in. 

Several  attempts  were  made  to  build  engines  after  those  brought  over  from  London, 
but  most  all  failed  who  attempted  it.  One  Bartholomew  Weldern  built  two,  neither  one 
of  which  would  work.  The  price  allowed  for  building  an  engine  in  those  days  was  £50. 

Thomas  Lote  was  the  first  man  who  ever  built  an  engine  in  this  country  that  was 
used.  It  was  known  as  Xo.  3.  and  on  its  completion  was  located  adjoining  "Kalch- 
Hook  Pond." 

In  December,  1737.  the  General  Assembly  of  the  colony  passed  an  act  enabling  the 
corporation  to  appoint  not  more  than  forty-two  able,  discreet,  sober  men  as  firemen ;  an 
equal  number  to  be  appointed  out  of  the  six  several  wards  on  the  south  side  of  Fresh 
Water.  An  enumeration  of  the  trades  of  twenty-eight  will  be  interesting  and  is  as  fol- 
lows: Blacksmiths,  4;  blockmaker,  1:  cutter.  1;  gunsmiths,  2:  carpenters.  5;  brick- 
layers, 2;  ropemaker.  1  :  carmen,  2;  coopers,  4;  bakers,  2;  cordwainers.  4. 

The  volunteer  fire  department,  so  established,  lasted  for  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  years.  A  high  compliment,  and  one  that  no  doubt  was  deserved,  was  paid  to  the 
city's  firemen  in  the  preamble  to  this  act.  in  these  words :  "The  inhabitants  of  the  citv  of 
Xew  York  of  all  degrees,  have  very  justly  acquired  the  reputation  of  being  singularly  and 
remarkably  famous  for  their  diligence  and  services  in  cases  of  fires."  and  it  was.  doubt- 
less, this  fact  that  led  to  the  institution  of  the  voluntary  system.  This  act  recites,  further- 
more, that  the  firemen  "have,  at  very  great  charge  and  expense,  supplied  themselves,  and 
are  provided  with  two  fire  engines  and  various  sorts  of  poles,  hooks,  iron  chains,  ropes, 
ladders  and  several  other  tools  and  instruments  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires.  Thev 
were  to  manage  and  care  for  the  fire  apparatus."  to  lie  "called  the  firemen  of  the  citv  of 


/gin  ursir5i[sir^=  nf^ 

W.  A.  MURPHY  J.  T.  QUINLAN 

(Cnmylimrutii  of 

HUDSON  GARAGE 


SUpaira 


SPECIAL   ATTENTION    GIVEN   TO  TRANSIENTS 

220-4  WEST  41st  STREET 

Phone  11$}  Bryant                NEW  YORK 
Ul   ,  , 

-  iBInllalli  HE? 


46 


New  York,"  and  be  ready  for  service  "by  night  as  well  as  by  day."  To  "compel  and 
oblige  them"  to  be  "diligent,  industrious  and  vigilant,"  the  Common  Council  were  em- 
powered to  remove  any  of  them  and  put  others  in  their  place,  and,  as  an  inducement  to 
fill  up  the  ranks,  the  firemen  so  appointed  were  "freed,  exempted  and  privileged  from  the 
several  offices  of  constable  and  surveyor  of  the  highways,  and  of  and  from  the  being  put 
into  or  serving  upon  any  juries  or  inquest,  and  of  and  from  being  compellable  to  serve  in 
the  militia,  or  any  of  the  independent  companies  of  or  in  the  said  city,  or  any  or  either  of 
them,  except  in  cases  of  invasion,  or  other  imminent  danger."  It  was  ordained  likewise 
that  the  firemen  enjoy  the  privileges  given  by  the  act  of  Assembly,  on  condition  of  their 
subjecting  themselves  to  certain  cited  rules  and  regulations,  of  which  these  are  an  ab- 
stract : 

Upon  notice  of  the  happening  of  a  fire,  they  are  to  take  the  engines  and  assist  in  its 
extinguishment,  and  afterwards  to  wash  the  engines  and  preserve  them  in  good  order. 
If  absent  from  a  fire  without  reasonable  cause,  to  forfeit  twelve  shillings. 
Once  in  each  month  to  exercise  the  engines,  so  as  to  keep  them  in  good  order. 
For  any  neglect  of  his  duty,  a  fireman  might  be  removed. 
Forfeitures  were  to  be  recovered  before  the  mayor,  recorder,  or  any  alderman. 
On  December  i,  1741,  additional  firemen  were  appointed. 

In  this  year  also  a  committee  of  the  Common  Council  was  appointed  "to  inspect  the 
ladders,  hooks,  etc.,  and  to  cause  one  hundred  leather  buckets  to  be  made." 

It  was  decided,  in  February,  1749,  to  build  an  engine  house  in  Hanover  Square,  and 
to  procure  one  hundred  new  fire  buckets.  Three  years  later  in  May,  the  watch  prison 
was  designated  a  house  for  a  fire  engine,  and  six  small  speaking  trumpets  were  pur- 
chased. 

In  addition  to  the  law  for  the  better  preventing  of  fire  which  was  ordained  on  the 
eighth  of  November,  1756,  an  ordinance  was  passed  in  November,  1757,  decreeing  that  no 
person  should  have,  keep  or  put  any  hay  or  straw  in  barracks  or  piles  in  his  yard  or  gar- 
den, or  in  any  other  place,  to  the  southward  of  Fresh  Water,  except  in  close  buildings 
erected  for  the  purpose  ;  and  that  no  person  should  have,  keep  or  put  any  hay  or  straw  in 
any  house,  stable  or  building  within  the  same  limits,  that  should  be  within  ten  feet  of  any 
chimney,  hearth,  or  fierplace,  or  place  for  keeping  ashes,  under  the  penalty  of  twenty 
shillings  for  every  offense,  one  half  of  which  should  be  recovered  for  the  church  war- 
dens for  the  use  of  the  poor  of  the  city,  and  the  other  half  for  the  person  who  should 
prosecute  the  complaint.  The  new  barracks  adjacent  to  the  workhouse  being  unpro- 
tected, a  fire  engine  and  fifty  buckets  were  sent  there.  In  order  to  provide  additional  and 
more  powerful  fire  engines,  it  was  decided  at  a  meeting  of  the  Common  Council,  held  on 
June  20,  that  the  remainder  of  the  money  acquired  by  the  sale  of  the  city's  fire-arms  to 
General  Abercrombie,  be  sent  to  England  for  the  purchase  there  of  one  large  fire  engine, 
one  small  one,  and  two  hand  engines,  with  some  buckets,  etc. 

In  July,  Jacobus  Stoutenburgh  was  appointed  overseer  of  the  fire  engines  and  appur- 
tenances, agreeing  to  take  care  of  them  and  keep  them  in  good  order  for  the  sum  of 
thirty  pounds  per  year.  The  following  year  Mr.  Stoutenburgh  was  known  as  the  engi- 
neer of  the  department,  having  as  assistants  Samuel  Bell  and  Jasper  Ten  Brook.  The 
working  force  consisted  of  twelve  men  for  each  of  the  six  wards. 

No  attempt  was  made  to  light  the  streets  by  public  authority  until  the  year  1762,  ex- 
cepting a  temporary  ordinance  in  the  latter  part  of  the  previous  century,  requiring  the  oc- 
cupants of  every  tenth  house  to  hang  out  a  lantern  upon  a  pole.  An  act  of  Assembly  was 
passed  in  the  above  year  giving  the  corporation  authority  to  provide  means  for  lighting 
the  city.  In  the  same  year  the  first  posts  and  lamps  were  purchased.  In  1770  a  contract 
was  made  with  J.  Stoutenburgh  for  supplying  oil  and  lighting  the  city  lamps,  for  the  sum 
of  seven  hundred  and  sixty  dollars.  In  1774  the  city  employed  sixteen  lamplighters.  This 
system  of  lighting  the  city  remained  substantially  the  same  until  the  contract  with  the 
New  York  Gaslight  Company,  in  1823,  by  which  certain  parts  of  the  city  were  to  be 
lighted  with  gas. 

In  1767  it  was  directed  that  all  the  roofs  in  the  city  should  be  covered  with  slate  or 
tiles.  For  some  years,  however,  tiles  alone  were  used,  the  first  building  roofed  with  slate 
being,  it  is  said,  the  City  Hotel,  in  Broadway,  erected  in  1794. 

The  number  of  firemen  in  the  city  had  been  increased  by  February  1,  1769,  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty. 


-47 


The  law  prescribing  a  penalty  for  permitting  chimneys  to  take  fire  through  neglect 
to  keep  them  clean  became  practically  ohsolete  because  of  the  unwillingness  of  neighbors 
to  turn  informers  and  help  to- prosecute  for  violations  of  it.  It  was  therefore  deemed  nec- 
essary in  November,  1771,  to  appoint  Johannis  Myer  to  perform  that  disagreeable  but 
necessary  service;  and  the  penalties  were  to  be  devoted  to  a  firemen's  fund  for  the  pur- 
chase of  material  required  by  them  in  the  prosecution  of  their  duties.  The  engineer  in 
this  year,  for  "maintaining"  ten  engines  and  for  his  own  salary,  drew  the  sum  of  thirty- 
three  pounds  and  six  shillings.  The  following  year  a  third  assistant  engineer  was  ap- 
pointed, and  three  additional  engines  were  purchased. 

Up  to  1776  there  were  but  seven  engines  and  two  bucket  and  ladders,  or  trucks,  al- 
though there  were  building  at  the  time  one  for  Xo.  8.  During  the  early  part  of  this  year 
the  whole  force  of  the  Fire  Department,  consisting  of  a  little  over  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty, formed  themselves  into  a  home  guard,  with  Jacob  Stoutenburgh  as  chief,  but  virtu- 
ally under  command  of  General  Washington. 

Two  terrible  conflagrations  added  to  the  measure  of  distress  and  ruin.  Hardly  had 
the  British  troops  taken  possession,  ere  (on  the  twenty-first  of  September,  1776,)  a  dis- 
astrous fire,  breaking  out  in  a  small  wooden  house  on  the  wharf  near  Whitehall,  occupied 
by  dissolute  characters,  spread  to  the  northward,  and  consumed  the  entire  city  westward 
of  Broadway  to  the  very  northernmost  limit.  In  this  terrible  calamity,  which  owed  its 
extent  to  the  desertion  of  the  city  and  the  terror  of  the  few  remaining  inhabitants,  four 
hundred  and  ninety-three  houses  were  destroyed,  including  old  Trinity  and  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Another  destructive  fire  broke  out  on  Cruger's  wharf  on  the  third  of  August, 
1778,  and  burned  about  fifty-four  houses. 

The  cause  of  so  many  nouses  being  burned  was  attributed  to  the  military  taking  the 
directions  of  the  fire  from  the  firemen.  The  commander-in-chief,  to  whom  complaint  was 
made  by  the  citizens,  gave  orders  that  in  future  no  military  man  should  interfere  with 
any  fire  that  might  happen  within  the  city. 

These  fires  occurred  while  the  British  held  possession  of  the  city,  and  excited  a  fear  at 
the  time  that  the  "American  Rebels"  had  purposed  to  oust  them  by  their  own  sacrifices, 
like  another  Moscow.  It  was,  however,  established  that  they  were  the  result  of  accident 
and  not  of  design. 

After  the  great  fire  of  1776,  Major-General  James  Robertson  issued  the  following 
proclamation : 

Whereas,  There  is  ground  to  believe  that  the  Rebels,  not  satisfied  with  the  Destruc- 
tion of  Part  of  the  City,  entertain  Designs  of  burning  the  Rest.  And  it  is  thought  that  a 
Watch  to  inspect  all  the  Parts  of  the  City  to  apprehend  Incendiaries  and  to  stifle  Fires 
before  they  rise  to  a  dangerous  Height  might  be  necessary  and  proper  means  to  prevent 
such  a  calamity.  Many  of  the  principal  inhabitants  have  applied  to  me  to  form  such  a 
Watch  and  have  all  offered  to  watch  in  person,  etc. 

A  number  of  citizens  formed  themselves  into  companies,  in  January  of  1 781 ,  calling 
themselves  by  the  names  of  the  Friendly  Union,  Hand-in-Hand,  and  Heart-in-Hand  Fire 
Companies.  Their  object  was  to  undertake  every  service  in  their  power,  in  case  of  fire,  by 
removing  and  securing  the  effects  of  such  of  their  fellow  citizens  whose  situation,  at  such 
time,  should  require  their  attention.  In  order  to  be  distinguished,  they  wore  round  hats 
with  black  brims  and  white  crowns.  They  were  exempted  from  handling  buckets,  or  as- 
sisting in  working  the  engines. 

The  Department  (up  to  1776)  consisted  as  follows: 

Engine  Company  No.  1 — Location,  rear  of  City  Hall. 

Engine  Company  No.  2 — Rear  of  City  Hall. 

Engine  Company  No.  3 — At  Calch-Hook  Pond. 

Engine  Company  No.  4 — Broadway  and  a  lane  leading  clown  to  Jansen's  windmill, 
midway  between  Little  Queen  and  Fair  streets. 

Engine  Company  No.  5 — On  "Smit  Valley,"  now  Pearl  street. 
Engine  Company  No.  6— Crown    street,  near  King,  now  Nassau. 
Engine  Company  No.  7 — Duke  street,  leading  down  to  Terry,  now  Stone. 
Engine  Company  No.  8 — At  the  Tar  Pits,  foot  of  now  Maiden  Lane. 
Truck  Company  No.  2 — Fair,  near  King  street. 

Truck  Company  No.  2 — S.  E.  of  the  Battery,  adjoining  the  Basin. 
During  the  war  the  department  was  completely  demoralized,  but  two  engines  hav- 

48 


49 


ing  survived.  Most  of  the  members  were  killed,  and  when  the  British  evacuated  the  city 
only  one  of  the  engines  left  would  work. 

Numerous  fire  buckets  had  disappeared  from  time  to  time — expropriated  or  irremedi- 
ably damaged.  So  great  had  the  deficiency  thus  created  become,  by  the  commencement 
of  1784,  that  the  Common  Council  appointed  a  committee  to  ascertain  the  number  want- 
ing, and  to  make  contracts  for  new  buckets. 

In  May,  1785,  a  fire  engine  was  purchased  of  Richard  Dcane  for  the  sum  of  forty 
pounds  sterling.  In  July  of  that  year  the  French  church  was  burnt.  In  October,  as  "the 
season  in  which  fires  most  frequently  happen  was  approaching,"  the  law  for  the  better 
preventing  of  fire  was  published  in  the  newspapers  of  the  city,  so  that  no  one  could  plead 
ignorance. 

Although  no  effort  seems  to  have  been  made  by  State  laws  prior  to  1787  to  organize 
any  force  of  men  specially  charged  with  the  extinguishment  of  fires  in  this  city,  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  two  previous  enactments  had  been  made  looking  toward  the  preven- 
tion of  fires,  one  in  1785,  and  the  other  the  following  year.  The  first  of  these  laws  was 
aimed  at  "the  pernicious  practice  of  firing  guns,  pistols,  rockets,  squibs,  and  other  fire- 
works, on  the  eve  of  the  last  day  of  December,  and  the  first  and  second  days  of  January," 
and  provided  for  a  fine  of  forty  shillings  for  the  offense  of  firing  off  any  gun,  etc.,  with- 
in a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  any  building  on  the  days  named.  In  the  event  of  the  fine  not 
being  paid,  then  the  offender  went  to  jail,  "there  to  remain  without  bail  or  mainprize 
for  the  space  of  one  month." 

The  other,  passed  in  1787,  was  directed  against  "the  storing  of  pitch,  tar,  turpentine, 
rosin,  linseed  oil,  or  shingles,"  as  well  as  against  the  firing  off  of  guns,  pistols,  etc.  It 
prohibited  the  storing  of  any  of  the  substances  named  in  any  place  "south  of  fresh  water 
in  said  city,"  under  a  penalty  of  ten  pounds.  But  any  ship  chandler  was  allowed  to  have 
"near  his  door  in  the  open  street"  not  to  exceed  twenty  barrels  at  any  one  time,  "in  order 
the  more  readily  to  supply  the  merchant  ships,  and  others  who  may  have  occasion  for 
small  quantities  of  such  commodities."  Any  person  discharging  any  firearms  or  fire- 
works "on  any  lane,  street,  or  ally,  garden,  or  other  enclosure,  or  in  any  other  place  where 
persons  usually  walk  'south  of  fresh  water,'  "  was  liable  to  a  penalty  of  twenty  shillings, 
or  to  be  imprisoned  for  ten  days.  Tf  the  offender  were  a  slave,  it  was  provided  that  he 
was  to  be  "publicklv  whipped  on  the  naked  back  as  many  times  as  the  justice  shall  pre- 
scribe, not  exceeding  thirty-nine." 

On  March  15.  1787,  the  first  act  regulating  the  keeping  and  storing  of  gunpowder 
was  passed.  By  this  law,  any  gunpowder  in  greater  quantity  than  twenty-eight  pounds, 
found  by  any  fireman  outside  of  the  powder  magazine  and  within  one  mile  of  the  City 
Hall,  was  forfeited  to  the  use  of  such  fireman,  without  the  formality  of  any  legal  process 
whatever. 

On  November  1.  1780,  the  Hand-in-Hand  Fire  Company  was  organized.  Certain 
rules  and  regulations  were  at  various  times  agreed  on,  and  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  at 
the  Coffee  House  on  November  20,  1788.  "The  utility  of  associations  for  the  purpose  of 
averting  as  much  as  possible  the  ruinous  consequences  which  may  occasionally  happen  by 
fire,"  the  preamble  recites,  "induced  a  number  of  individuals  to  form  themselves  into  se- 
lect companies,  with  the  laudable  view  of  affording  their  particular  aid  to  each  other,  and 
to  the  community  at  large."  Under  this  impression  the  society  was  formed.  Among  the 
articles  of  association  was  one  requiring  that  each  member  should  provide  himself  with 
two  bags,  consisting  of  three-and-a-half-yards  raven's  duck  (with  proper  strings), 
marked  with  the  owner's  name  at  length,  and  "H.  H.."  the  initials  of  the  company :  also 
a  round  hat,  the  crown  to  be  painted  white,  and  thereon  the  letters  "H.  H.,"  painted 
black,  as  large  as  the  crown  would  permit  of ;  which  hat  should  be  considered  as  the 
badge  of  distinction  of  the  company  in  case  of  fire.  Another  article  provided  that  there 
should  be  a  watchword  given  by  the  president  or  vice-president,  in  order  to  prevent  de- 
ception from  intruders  at  the  removal  of  effects  in  case  of  fire :  and  the  watchword  was  to 
be  demanded  by  one  of  the  members,  who  should  be  placed  as  sentinel  at  the  house  or 
store  in  danger. 

The  earliest  State  law  providing  for  the  protection  of  the  city  from  the  ravages  of 
fire,  and  upon  which  is  founded  all  subsequent  legislation  relating  to  the  appointment  and 
equipment  of  firemen,  is  that  passed  on  March  19,  1787,  entitled  "an  act  for  the  better 
extinguishment  of  fires  in  the  city  of  New  York."    By  that  act  the  Common  Council  was 


50 


authorized  and  required  to  appoint  "a  sufficient  number  of  strong,  able,  discreet,  honest, 
and  sober  men,  willing  to  accept,  not  exceeding  three  hundred  in  number  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, being  freeholders  or  freemen  of  said  city,  to  have  the  care,  management,  working 
and  using  the  fire  engines  and  the  other  tools  and  instruments,  now  provided  or  hereafter 
to  be  provided  for  extinguishing  fires,  *  *  *  which  persons  shall  be  called  the  Firemen 
of  the  City  of  Xew  York ;  and  who,  with  the  engineers  of  the  same  city,  are  hereby  re- 
quired and  enjoined  to  be  ready  at  all  times,  as  well  by  night  as  by  day,  to  manage,  work 
and  use  all  the  same  fire  engines,  and  others  of  the  tools  and  instruments  aforesaid." 

The  firemen  so  appointed  were  made  subject  to  such  rules  as  the  Common  Council 
might  prescribe  "for  the  frequent  exercising,  trying  and  using  of  the  same  fire  engines, 
tools,  and  other  instruments." 

It  was  decided  in  February,  1788,  to  remove  the  engine  located  in  Nassau  street  to  a 
house  to  be  erected  on  the  ground  belonging  to  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Congre- 
gation adjoining  the  North  Church. 

The  meddlesome  and  often  obstructive  character  of  the  help  given  to  the  firemen  by 
boys  and  excitable  young  men,  which  caused  so  much  trouble  and  anxiety  in  later  times 
to  the  controllers  of  the  department,  seems  to  have  developed  itself  as  early  as  1789,  for 
it  is  recorded  as  a  decree  of  the  august  and  reverend  fathers  of  the  city,  that  after  the 
twelfth  of  August  of  that  year  no  person  under  the  age  of  thirty  years  should  be  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  of  a  fireman.  But  that  law  proved  to  be  a  decided  drawback  in- 
stead of  a  benefit  to  the  department,  and  was  therefore  repealed  in  the  following  No- 
vember. 

The  fire  engines  of  the  smallest  size  were  used  to  approach  nearest  to  the  fire,  and 
were,  therefore,  best  adapted  for  the  "leaders"  to  convey  water  through  windows  and 
narrow  passes.  When  the  "leaders"  were  used,  none  but  firemen  were  willing  to  support 
them,  and  "it  was  attended  by  a  general  wetting  by  the  water  which  gushes  out  of  the 
seams."  The  foreman  of  these  engines  petitioned  the  Common  Council  for  an  assign- 
ment of  ten  men  to  each  company,  and  their  petition  was  acceded  to  in  March,  1790. 

A  revised  law  for  preventing  and  extinguishing  fires  was  passed  on  November  10, 
1 79 1,  which,  among  other  provisions,  called  for  the  appointment  of  fire  wardens  in  the 
respective  wards  of  the  city. 

As  marks  of  distinction  at  fires,  an  insignia  of  official  position,  it  was  decreed  by  the 
same  law  that  wardens  should  wear  caps  and  carry  certain  wands  and  trumpets.  And  it 
was  further  ordered  that  all  fines  recovered  as  penalties  for  violations  of  the  fire  laws 
should  be  paid  to  the  engineer,  and  by  him  appropriated  as  the  fire  marshal  should  direct. 

In  this  year  belong  the  earliest  extant  records  of  any  fire  company  in  the  city,  namely, 
those  of  Engine  No.  13,  which  began  in  the  month  of  November  ;  also,  the  first  written 
report  known  to  have  been  made  of  the  doings  of  the  Fire  Department  proper,  was  made 
on  the  fourth  of  this  month.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the  house  of  Jacob  Brouwer,  in 
Nassau  Street.  The  minutes  of  this  meeting  informs  us  that  "engineers,  firemen,  and 
representatives"  attended,  but  that  the  engineers  and  foremen  were  the  only  "representa- 
tives" present. 


Reliance  engine  Company 
Hat  worn  Year  1786 


5 1 


<*       The  Car  »ilh  Ihc  Offtel  Crank-Shall. 


Model  Forry- four,  34  H.  P.,  $2,250. 

With  Magneto,  Lamp!  and  Tooli. 


Quality  in  the  Rambler 

That  quality  of  refinement  in  workmanship  and  material  which  domi- 
nates every  detail  of  the  new  Rambler  is  most  apparent  when  it  is  compared, 
part  for  part,  with  cars  costing  hundreds  and  thousands  of  dollars  more. 

The  perfection  of  every  detail  in  the  making  of  this  automobile  can  be  attributed  to 
that  infinite  care  and  pride  in  his  work  which  every  Rambler  mechanic  brings  to  his 
individual  task.    The  selection,  indifferent  to  cost,  of  the  materials  used  and  the  fin- 
ished skill  applied  to  fashioning  each  part,  stamps  the  Rambler  as  a  car  of  character. 

The  Rambler  Spare  Wheel,  Offset  Crank-Shaft,  and  other  exclusive  Rambler 
features  are  but  evidences  of  our  constant  effort  to  provide  for  the  comfort  and 
satisfaction  of  Rambler  owners. 

May  we  send  you  the  new  Rambler  catalog  or  a  copy  of 
the  Rambler  magazine,  a  monthly  publication  for  owners? 

Rambler  automobiles,  $1,150  to  $2,500 

Thomas  B.  Jeffery  &  Company 

Mai-i  Office  and  Factory,  Kenosha,  Wis. 
New  Yo«k  Branch:  38-40  W.  62nd  Street 

"Branches  and  Distributing  Agencies: 
Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Boston,  Cleveland,  San  Francisco. 
Representatives  in  all  leading  cities. 


THE      CAR     OF      STEADY  SERVICE 


52 


The  Fire  Department,  on  the  twentieth  of  December,  1791,  held  a  meeting  of  repre- 
sentatives of  their  organization,  authorized  by  their  different  companies,  and  framed  a 
constitution,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  fund  for  the  relief  of  unfortunate  firemen 
whose  misfortune  was  occasioned  while  doing  duty  as  firemen. 

The  organization  of  the  fire  department  up  to  January,  1792,  consisted  exclusively 
of  engineers  and  foremen.  The  firemen,  who  were  excluded,  felt  that  they  had  a  right  to 
be  represented,  and  they  succeeded  in  carrying  their  point.  By  this  change  each  com- 
pany consisting  of  eighteen  men  were  entitled  to  send  two  representatives,  and  each 
company  consisting  of  less  than  this  number  was  entitled  to  send  one  representative.  In- 
stead of  all  the  engineers  being  members  of  the  organization,  only  one  of  them  was  ad- 
mitted to  memebrship.  The  following  were  elected  officers:  John  Stagg,  president; 
Ahasuerus  Turk,  vice-president ;  William  J.  Elsworth,  treasurer ;  Abraham  Franklin, 
secretary. 

In  1793  the  Common  Council  embodied  all  its  rules  for  the  conduct  of  the  fire  de- 
partment in  a  single  ordinance.  This  ordinance  is  too  valuable  and  too  quaint  a  docu- 
ment not  to  be  given  nearly  verbatim: 

That  the  inhabitant  and  owner  of  every  house  in  this  city  having  less  than  three 
fireplaces  shall  provide  one  Leather  Bucket:  and  having  three  fireplaces  and  under  six, 


Fire  apparatus  used  during  Year  181 1 


two ;  and  having  six  fireplaces  and  under  nine,  four ;  and  having  nine  fireplaces  and  up- 
wards, six ;  and  of  every  Brew-House,  Distilling  and  Sugar-House,  nine  Buckets  ;  and  of 
every  Bake-House  four  Buckets,  each  of  which  Buckets  *  *  *  shall  be  sufficient  to 
contain  at  least  two  Gallons  and  a  half  of  Water,  and  shall  be  marked  with  at  least  the 
initial  letters  of  the  Landlord's  Name,  and  shall  be  hung  in  the  entry  or  near  the  Front 
Door  *  *  ready  to  be  used  for  extinguishing  fires,  when  there  shall  be  occasion.  The 
buckets  to  be  got  at  the  expense  of  the  owner  of  the  house,  the  tenant  having  the  right  to 
deduct  the  cost  of  the  same  from  his  rent.  Penalty,  six  shillings  for  each  bucket  not 
provided. 

So  many  Firemen  shall  from  time  to  time  be  appointed  in  each  of  the  Wards  of  this 
city  as  the  Common  Council  shall  deem  proper,  and  shall  be  called  Fire  Wardens,  whose 
Duty  it  shall  be,  immediately  on  the  cry  of  fire,  to  repair  to  the  place  where  it  shall  be. 
and  to  direct  the  inhabitants  in  forming  themselves  into  Ranks  for  handling  the  Buckets 
to  supply  the  Fire  Engines  with  Water,  in  such  places  and  in  such  manner  as  they  may 
think  will  best  answer  the  purpose,  under  the  direction  of  the  Mayor.  Recorder,  and  Al- 
derman, if  present. 


53 


This  ordinance  further  provides  that  the  mayor,  recorder,  aldermen  and  assistants 
shall  carry  at  fires  "a  white  wand,  at  least  five  feet  in  length,  with  a  gilded  flame  on  the 
top ;  and  each  of  the  fire  wardens  shall  wear  upon  those  occasions  a  cap  with  the  city 
arms  painted  on  the  front,  and  the  crown  painted  white,  and  carry  in  his  hand  *  *  a 
speaking  trumpet  painted  white." 

This  ordinance  also  provides  that  when  a  fire  occurs  the  watchman  shall  give  notice 
to  the  fire  wardens,  whose  names  and  addresses  are  required  to  he  hung  up  in  the  watch- 
house.  "And  it  is  enjoined  on  the  inhabitants  to  place  a  lighted  candle  at  the  front  win- 
dow of  their  respective  houses,  in  order  that  the  people  shall  pass  through  the  streets 
with  greater  safety.  The  men  are  also  required  at  least  once  a  month  to  exercise  with 
their  engines,  etc.,  to  wash,  clean,  and  examine  them,  under  a  penalty  of  six  shillings; 
and  for  every  failure  to  attend  at  the  fire,  and  for  leaving  his  engine  while  at  a  fire,  and 
for  failure  to  do  his  duty  at  a  fire,  a  fine  of  twelve  shillings  is  imposed,  and  to  be  removed 
from  office  as  fireman.  The  chief  engineer  is  required  to  see  that  all  buckets  are  collected 
after  fires,  and  carried  to  the  City  Hall,  and  placed  upon  the  pavement  there  under  the 
Hall  so  that  the  citizens  may  know  where  to  find  them." 

The  fire  wardens  are  required  to  examine  the  houses  and  buildings  in  their  respec- 
tive wards,  and  to  see  that  "they  be  properly  furnished  with  buckets  ;"  and  also  to  exam- 
ine fireplaces,  chimneys,  outhouses,  and  buildings,  stoves  and  pipes  thereof,  and  give 
notice  of  any  danger  or  deficiency  to  the  mayor  or  recorder,  who  can  impose  a  fine  of  ten 
shillings,  if  he  feels  so  disposed.  Stoves  could  be  erected  without  the  approval  of  the  fire 
wardens,  but  subject  to  a  fine  of  twenty  shillings. 

In  1793  the  fire  department  consisted  of  twenty  engines,  two  hook  and  ladder  com- 
panies, twenty-two  foremen,  thirteen  assistants,  and  three  hundred  and  eighteen  men. 

About  the  year  1794  the  fire  engines  were  of  a  very  inferior  quality;  and  no  water 
was  to  be  had  except  from  wooden-handle  pumps.  By  a  law  of  the  corporation,  every 
owner  of  a  dwelling  was  obliged  to  procure  a  fire  bucket  for  every  fireplace  in  the  house 
or  back  kitchen.  These  buckets  held  three  gallons,  and  were  made  of  sole  leather.  They 
were  hung  in  the  passage,  near  the  front  door,  and  when  the  bell  rang  for  fire  the  watch- 
men, firemen,  and  boys,  while  running  to  the  fire,  sang  out,  "Throw  out  your  buckets." 
These  were  picked  up  by  the  first  who  came  along.  Two  lines  were  formed,  from  the 
fire  to  the  nearest  pump ;  when  the  pump  gave  out  the  lines  were  carried  to  the  nearest 
river;  one  line  passed  down  the  empty,  the  other  passed  up  the  full  buckets.  It  \v-s  sel- 
dom that  any  person  attempted  to  break  through  these  lines.  As  we  have  said  elsewhere 
he  would  be  roughtly  handled  if  he  tried  it.  The  firemen  expected  every  goo  l  "itizen 
to  give  them  aid. 

Up  to  1795  private  citizens  had  furnished  the  fire  buckets.  This  plan  did  n  t  prove 
satisfactory.  As  an  improvement,  each  engine  house  was  furnished  with  two  poles  of 
sufficient  length  to  carry  twelve  buckets  each.  These  poles  were  carried  on  the  Moulders 
of  firemen  when  going  to  fires,  as  may  be  seen  represented  in  engravings  on  old  Bremen's 
certificates.  The  general  rule  that  prevailed  was,  that  the  first  fireman  to  rea~h  t^e  en- 
gine house  after  an  alarm  of  fire  should  have  a  right  to  the  pipe,  and  take  it  with  'dm  to 
the  fire;  that  the  next  four  firemen  to  arrive  should  bear  away  the  bucket  pole* ;  and 
that  the  rest  of  the  company  should  run  off  with  the  engine,  "bawling  out  and  d'mand- 
ing  the  aid  of  citizens  as  they  proceeded  on." 

An  amendment  to  the  building  laws  was  recommended  in  February,  1795  hat  no 
building,  excepting  those  of  stone  or  brick,  and  covered  with  slate  or  tile,  shouVl  '>e  of 
any  great  height  from  the  level  of  the  ground  to  the  lower  part  of  the  roof  than  twenty- 
eight  feet,  and  that  the  pitch  of  the  roof  should  not  exceed  ten  inches  per  fcrt 

The  Fresh  Pond,  or,  as  the  Dutch  designated  it,  Kolck,  which  name  had  I  1  cor- 
rupted into  the  "Collect,"  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  events  t  the 
world  ever  saw.  That  was  nothing  less  than  the  original  experiment  in  stea-  viga- 
tion.  Here,  in  1795,  was  exhibited  by  John  Stevens  of  Hohoken,  1  boat  with  crew 
propeller  driven  by  a  steam  engine.  The  next  year  another  experiment  was  r,  ad  :ti  the 
same  place  by  John  Fitch,  the  real  inventor  of  steam  navigation,  with  n  shin's  I,  into 
which  he  had  placed  a  rude  steam  engine  of  his  own  construction,  with  p  ddle  ds  at 
the  sides  of  the  boat.  These  experiments,  with  Fitch's  invention,  were  made  :  pres- 
ence and  under  the  inspection  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  and  Stevens,  and  "  -n  l 


doubtless  afforded  many  of  the  facts  and  suggestions  through  which  Fulton  made  the  art 
available  for  useful  purposes. 

Tbe  location  of  engine  houses  in  1796  was  as  follows : 

No.    1  Engine  House,  opposite  Grosh  in's  brewhouse,  Barley  Street. 

No.    2  Engine  House,  near  the  new  Methodist  Church. 

No.    3  Engine  House,  Nassau  Street,  opposite  City  Hall. 

No.    4  Engine  House,  fronting  the  Playhouse,  John  Street. 

No.    5  Engine  House. 

No.    6  Engine  House,  at  the  College  Wall,  Murray  Street. 
No.    7  Engine  House,  Cliff  Street,  by  the  Church  Wall. 
No.    8  Engine  House,  adjoining  the  Gaol  yard. 

No.    9  Engine  House,  Whitehall    Street,  near  the  Government  House. 
No.  10  Engine  House,  top   of   Catherine  Street,  in  Chatham  Street. 
No.  11  Engine  House,  Hanover  Square. 

No.  12  Engine  House,  at  the  junction  of  Pearl  and  Cherry  Streets. 
No.  13  Engine  House,  near  Ferry  Stairs,  Fish  Market. 
No.  14  Engine  House. 

No.  15  Engine  House,  in  Nassau  Street,  opposite  the  Federal  Hall. 
No.  16  Engine  House,  in  Liberty  Street,  near  the  New  Dutch  Church. 
No.  17  Engine  House,  near  the  New  Slip. 

No.  18  Engine  House,  on  the  Hill,  John  Street,  near  Pearl  Street. 

No.  19  Engine  House,  Hester  Street,  near  Bowery  Lane. 

No.  20  Engine  House,  Greenwich  Street,  at  the  new  Albany  Pier. 

No.  21  Engine  House,  adjoining  burial  ground  of  the  Baptist  Church,  Gold  Street. 

No.  22  Engine  House,  George  Street. 

A  new  engine  was  purchased  in  January,  1797,  for  Engine  Company  No.  1,  and  the 
membership  raised  to  twenty.  At  the  same  time  the  petition  of  Peter  Curtenius  and 
others  for  a  fire  engine  on  Greenwich  Street,  between  Reade  and  Lispenard  Streets,  was 
granted. 

John  Halsey  represented  to  the  Common  Council  in  February,  1797,  that  he  would 
undertake  to  import  from  Hamburg  two  fire  engines,  with  long  hose,  to  convey  water 
from  the  river  into  the  interior  of  the  city,  of  superior  quality,  and  on  cheaper  terms  than 
similar  machines  could  be  manufactured  in  this  country.  The  Council  gave  Mr.  Halsey 
encouragement,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  communicate  with  him. 

The  act  of  March  19,  1787,  limited  the  number  of  firemen  to  three  hundred,  to  be 
nominated  and  appointed  by  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council,  and  they  were  by  its  provi- 
sions enjoined  to  be  ready  at  all  times,  as  well  by  night  as  by  day,  to  manage,  control,  and 
use  the  fire  engines  to  be  provided,  and  were  exempt  from  service  as  constables,  jurors, 
and  militiamen,  and  were  placed  generally  under  the  regulation  of  the  city  government. 
In  1792  the  number  was  increased  to  four  hundred  and  fifty.  On  the  twentieth  of  March, 
1798,  however,  upon  a  petition  of  the  firemen  praying  to  be  incorporated,  the  more  effec- 
tually to  enable  them  to  provide  adequate  funds  for  the  relief  of  disabled  and  injured  fire- 
men, and  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fires,  they  were  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  the  Fire  Department  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

The  members  of  the  Department  and  their  successors  were  accordingly  rendered 
capable  of  suing  and  being  sued  "in  all  courts  and  places  whatsoever,  in  all  matters  of 
actions,  suits,  complaints,  causes  and  matters  whatsoever,  and  that  they  and  their  suc- 
cessors may  have  a  common  seal,  and  may  change  and  alter  the  same  at  their  pleasure." 

By  this  act,  the  firemen  belonging  to  any  of  the  engines  of  the  city  of  New  York 
were  declared  to  be  and  to  continue  as  such  until  the  year  1818  a  body  politic,  by  the  name 
of  the  "Fire  Department  of  the  City  of  Xew  York."  They  and  their  successors  were  de- 
clared capable  of  purchasing,  holding,  and  conveying  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  for  the 
use  of  said  corporation,  not  to  exceed  the  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  said 
representatives,  on  the  second  Monday  of  December  in  every  year,  elected  by  ballot,  out 
of  their  own  body,  a  president  and  vice-president,  and  out  of  the  whole  body  of  firemen, 
three  trustees,  a  treasurer,  secretary,  and  collector. 

The  funds  of  the  corporation  were  obtained  from  chimney  funds,  certificates,  dona- 
tions, etc. 

The  incorporation  of  the  Fire  Department  appears  to  have  acted  as  a  signal  for  the 


55 


CIMIOTTI ::  GARAGE 


2906-2908  BROADWAY 


Phone  6100  Morningside 


SUBWAY  STATION  NEAR  ENTRANCE 


^  Fireproof  and  fitted  up-to-date 

^  Nothing  to  hard  for  us  to  do 

A  full  line  of  Supplies  at  reasonable  rates 

^  Our  washers  understand  their  business  and 
there  is  no  scratching  of  varnish 


AGENTS  :  FOR  :  PULLMAN  :  AUTOMOBILES 

No.    1855  BROADWAY 

Garage  ana  Repair  Department,  No.  2824  BROADWAY 

56 


The  Great  fire  of  the  City  of  New  York,  December  16th  and  17th, 


S7 


formation  of  fire  insurance  corporations.  That  arm  of  the  commerce  of  our  great  city, 
now  grown  so  powerful  and  far-reaching,  holding  in  its  sweep  untold  millions  of  capital, 
was  represented  at  this  period,  so  far  as  the  statutes  of  this  State  indicate,  only  by  two 
companies,  known  as  "The  United  Insurance  Company"  and  "The   Mutual  Assurance 

Company." 

The  latter  company  was  incorporated  in  1798,  March  23,  on  the  mutual  plan,  and 
among  its  corporators  are  to  he  found  names  familiar  to  all  insurance  men,  many  of 
which  will  he  found  intimately  associated  with  the  history  and  progress  of  life,  as  well  as 
fire  insurance  in  this  city.  They  embrace  such  names  as  Thomas  Pearsall,  Nicholas  Gou- 
verneur,  Abraham  Varick,  Wynant  Van  Zandt,  Samuel  Franklin,  John  Thompson,  Rob- 
ert Lenox,  Gulian  Verplank,  Samuel  I'owne,  and  Leonard  Bleecker. 

The  first  intimation  in  the  municipal  records  of  the  fire  department  of  trouble  arising 
from  personal  disagreements  among  members  of  a  company,  is  given  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  dated  February  12,  1798.  Therein  it  is  set  forth  that  the  fore- 
man and  other  members  of  Engine  Company  No.  7  complained  against  Jacob  Tablie,  one 
of  their  number,  for  rude  and  improper  conduct,  for  refusing  to  observe  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  the  company,  and  disturbing  the  harmony  thereof.  The  board  heard  Mr.  Tablie 
in  his  own  defense,  and  concluded  that  the  best  interests  of  the  company  and  the  depart- 
ment demanded  his  removal,  which  was  immediately  effected,  and  John  Drake  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  stead. 

A  new  fire  engine  was  "imported"  from  Philadelphia  in  February,  1798,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  Engine  Company  No.  15,  stationed  at  the  City  Hall,  and  their  old  engine 
was  packed  off  to  the  Seventh  Ward. 

Two  fire  engines  arrived  from  Hamburg  in  the  spring  of  1799,  and  measures  were 
taken  for  the  erection  of  a  house  for  them  in  the  yard  of  the  almshouse. 

Thomas  Howell  imported  two  fire  engines  from  London  in  December,  which  the 
Corporation  purchased  from  him  for  the  sum  of  four  thousand  dollars. 

The  fire  department  consisted  of  a  single  engineer,  who  received  his  appointment 
from  the  Common  Council,  and  who  was  invested  with  absolute  control  over  the  com- 
panies, engines,  and  all  else  that  pertained  to  the  organization  :  a  number  of  fire  wardens, 
commissioned  by  the  same  authority  to  inspect  buildings,  chimneys,  etc..  and  to  keep 
order  at  fires ;  and  several  voluntary  companies  under  the  direction  of  a  foreman,  assist- 
ant, and  clerk  of  their  own  choosing.  A  few  engine  houses  had  been  built ;  the  greater 
part  of  the  hooks  and  ladders,  buckets,  etc.,  were  deposited  for  safe  keeping  in  the  City 
Hall.  Several  of  these  pioneer  companies  retained  their  organization  up  to  the  time  of 
the  disbandment  of  the  volunteer  system. 

It  provides,  in  addition  to  the  other,  substantially  as  follows:  The  firemen  of  the  city 
to  consist  of  one  chief,  and  as  many  other  "engineers,  fire  wardens,  hook  and  ladder 
men,  and  other  firemen."  as  may  be  appointed  by  the  mayor,  etc.,  as  firemen,  and  be  dis- 
tinguished by  the  said  appellations. 

The  chief  is  to  have  control  of  the  firemen,  subject  to  the  Common  Council,  and  the 
engineers  shall  take  proper  measures  for  having  several  of  the  engines  "placed,  filled  and 
worked,"  at  fires.  He  is  also  to  have  charge  of  the  repairs  of  engines,  and  to  see  that 
they  are  kept  in  good  working  order. 

It  became  apparent  in  1805  that  the  means  employed  for  the  extinguishment  of  fire 
required,  and  were  susceptible  of.  much  improvement.  The  increasing  extent  of  the  city 
and  its  population  enhanced  the  possibilities  of  frequent  and  dangerous  fires,  at  the  same 
time  that  it  supplied  the  means  and  indicated  the  propriety  of  putting  the  fire  department 
upon  a  more  effective  and  systematic  footing.  The  utility  of  the  floating  engine  had  been 
fully  established.  But  as  it  could  not  always  be  moved  in  due  season  to  the  place  where 
it  was  wanted,  it  was  proposed  to  procure  another  of  the  same  kind.  For  a  similar  reason, 
and  also  because  at  some  seasons  the  ice  or  other  causes  might  wholly  prevent  the  floating 
engines  from  being  moved,  it  was  recommended  that  two  engines  of  like  power  be  pro- 
cured and  placed  on  wheels,  for  service  within  the  city.  These  latter  were  not  intended 
as  substitutes  for  the  floating  engines,  but  it  was  thought  that  four  engines  of  the  power 
specified  were  not  more  than  could  be  usefully  and  profitably  employed  on  many  occa- 
sions. Certain  of  the  engines  then  in  use— Nos.  2.  5,  6,  and  16 — were  both  too  small  and 
greatly  out  of  repair,  and  it  was  decided  to  sell  them,  and  that  in  future  uniformity  in 
size  and  power  in  engines  be  attended  to  throughout  the  department.    The  screws  of  the 

58 


leaders  were  of  different  sizes,  which  led  occasionally  to  trouble  at  critical  moments. 
Uniformity  in  that  respect,  too,  was  to  be  observed  regarding  engines  of  similar  power, 
and  every  common  engine  should  have  at  least  four  leaders  of  forty  feet  each. 

The  streets  were  swept  twice  a  week  by  the  inhabitants,  each  opposite  his  own 
house ;  and  for  the  collection  of  garbage  a  bell-cart  came  round  daily  in  each  street.  The 
city  was  lighted  by  lamps,  with  oil.  Wood  was  the  principal  article  of  fuel,  and  hickory 
was  deemed  the  best.  The  chimneys  were  swept  by  small  negro  boys,  whose  street  cries 
in  the  morning  drew  forth  many  a  denunciation  from  those  whose  slumbers  were  thus 
disturbed.  With  the  break  of  day  did  the  streets  ring  with  their  cries  of  "Sweep,  ho! 
sweep,  ho!  from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  without  a  ladder  or  a  rope,  sweep,  ho !"  to  a  chorus 
or  cry,  in  which  often  were  added  dulced  sounds  of  real  harmony. 

Fire  plugs  were  first  introduced  in  1807,  the  first  plug  being  put  down  at  the  corner 
of  William  and  Liberty  Streets.  The  chief  engineer  approved  of  it  so  highly  that  he  rec- 
ommended that  each  block  in  the  city  be  similarly  supplied. 

The  full  strength  of  the  fire  department  was  eight  hundred  and  sixty-nine  men,  as 
compared  with  seven  hundred  and  sixty-one  in  the  previous  year  (1806).  It  was  made 
up  of  seven  engineers,  forty-eight  fire  wardens,  seven  hundred  and  seventy-eight  fire 
engine  men,  and  thirty-six  hook  and  ladder  men.  The  number  of  fire  engine  companies 
was  thirty-four,  of  which  Nos.  28  and  33  were  the  smallest,  having  only  ten  men  each, 
and  Nos.  25,  3  and  8  were  the  largest,  having  forty,  thirty-two,  and  thirty  men  respec- 
tively. The  floating  engine  was  in  charge  of  forty  men.  There  were  only  two  hook  and 
ladder  companies.  In  November  the  strength  of  Engine  Company  No.  25  was  raised 
to  fifty.  Two  years  after,  in  December,  the  full  strength  of  the  department  was  nine  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  men,  of  whom  seven  were  engineers,  fifty-five  fire  wardens,  eight  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  fire  engine  men,  and  forty-six  hook  and  ladder  men — an  increase  of 
twenty-eight  men  over  the  previous  year  (1808). 

The  expenses  incurred  by  the  city  for  supplies  to  the  fire  department  for  the  eight 
years  ending  1809  amounted  to  forty-three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-eight  dol- 
lars, and  it  was  suggested  that,  inasmuch  as  the  fire  insurance  companies  were  greatly 
benefitted  by  the  existing  organization  of  the  fire  department,  they  should  be  called  upon 
to  defray  some  proportion  of  the  expense. 

The  city  was  again  devastated  by  a  terrible  conflagration  (May  19,  1811),  which 
broke  out  about  nine  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  near  the  northwest  corner  of  Duane  and 
Chatham  Streets.    The  steeple  of  the  brick  church,  and  the  cupola  of  the  jail  caught  fire. 

The  frequent  fires  occurring  in  the  fall  of  181 1  from  no  cause  that  could  be  reason- 
ably ascribed,  left  no  room  to  doubt  that  incendiaries  were  at  their  villainous  work,  and 
the  mayor  of  the  city  again  offered  a  reward  of  three  hundred  dollars  for  the  apprehen- 
sion and  conviction  of  the  offenders. 

The  fire  wardens  in  December  communicated  to  the  Common  Council  that  as  the  use 
of  hose  had  in  a  great  measure  superseded  the  use  of  fire  buckets,  the  ordinance  requiring 
owners  and  occupants  of  houses  to  furnish  buckets,  should,  in  their  opinion,  be  repealed, 
and  also  an  application  should  be  made  to  the  legislature  for  an  extension  of  the  limits 
within  which  wooden  buildings  should  not  be  erected. 

In  the  following  month  the  Council  Committee  reported  upon  that  communication 
that,  notwithstanding  the  advantages  arising  from  the  use  of  leaders,  cases  might  arise  in 
the  interior  of  the  city  when,  by  a  speedy  collection  of  buckets,  the  fire  might  be  extin- 
guished ere  the  line  by  engines  and  leaders  could  be  formed,  and  consequently  it  would 
be  imprudent  to  discontinue  the  ordinance  as  requested.  The  number  of  buckets  required 
to  be  kept  might,  however,  be  reduced  by  one-third,  to  lighten  the  burden  on  the  citizens. 

The  condition  of  affairs  in  the  city  during  the  summer  of  1812,  whilst  the  National 
Government  was  prosecuting  the  war  against  Great  Britain,  had  become  most  critical. 
There  were  fears  of  commotions  and  riots  fomented  by  evil  disposed  people,  which,  if 
allowed  to  pass  unnoticed,  might  lead  to  serious  and  alarming  consequences.  At  this 
juncture  (July,  1812),  the  members  of  engine  companies  Nos.  39,  36,  and  8,  volunteered 
their  services  to  the  chief  magistrate,  to  assist  in  quelling  any  roit  of  disturbance  that 
might  arise,  reserving  to  themselves,  however,  the  privilege  of  being  commanded  by 
their  own  officers,  without  the  interference  of  any  military  officer  whatever. 

An  act  for  the  more  effectual  prevention  of  fires  was  passed  April  9,  1813.  This  act 
made  it  obligatory  that  dwelling-houses,  storerooms,  and  other  buildings,  thereafter  to  be 


59 


WITH  COMPLIMENTS 

Simplex  Automobile  Co. 

No.  614  East  83d  Street 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

HERMAN  BROESEL,  Jr.  CARL  A.  BROESEL 

G.  E.  FRANQUIST 


60 


6i 


erected  within  the  following  boundaries,  should  be  made  and  constructed  of  stone  or 
brick,  with  party  or  fire  walls,  rising  at  least  six  inches  above  the  roof,  "and  shall  be 
covered,  except  the  flat  roof  thereof,  with  tile  or  slate,  or  other  safe  materials,  against 
fire,  and  not  with  boards  or  shingles,"  within  that  part  of  the  city  to  the  northward  of  the 
point  of  the  Battery,  and  a  line  beginning  upon  the  East  River,  opposite  Montgomery 
Street,  thence  through  Montgomery  Street  to  Cherry  Street,  thence  down  (  berry  Street 
to  Roosevelt,  through  Roosevelt  to  Chatham,  dow  n  Chatham  to  Chambers  Street,  through 
Chambers  Street  to  Broadway,  up  Broadway  to  Canal  Street,  thence,  commencing  again 
at  Chambers  Street  and  running  to  Hudson's  River,  including  also  the  lots  of  ground  on 
the  northerly  and  easterly  sides  of  the  said  streets  through  which  the  above-mentioned 
line  runs,  and  including,  also,  the  lots  of  ground  fronting  on  both  sides  of  Broadway, 
between  Chambers  and  Canal  Streets. 

The  above  designated  portion  of  the  city  also  constituted  "the  Watch  and  Lamp 
District." 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  any  fire  within  the  city,  the  law  required  the  sheriffs, 
deputy  sheriffs,  constables,  and  marshals,  upon  notice  thereof,  to  repair  immediately  to 
the  scene  of  the  fire,  with  their  rods,  staves,  and  other  badges  of  authority,  and  aid  and 
assist  in  the  extinguishing  of  the  said  fire,  and  cause  the  firemen  in  attendance  to  work ;  to 
prevent  any  goods  or  household  furniture  from  being  stolen  ;  to  seize  all  persons  found 
stealing  or  pilfering;  and  to  give  their  utmost  assistance  in  removing  and  securing  goods 
and  furniture.  They  were  subordinate  to  the  mayor,  recorder  and  aldermen,  or  any 
of  them. 

In  case  of  fire,  the  mayor,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  recorder,  with  the  consent  and  con- 
currence of  any  two  of  the  aldermen,  might  order  buildings  to  be  pulled  down. 

The  Common  Council  was  authorized  to  pass  ordinances  for  the  extinguishment  and 
prevention  of  fires ;  and  also  to  regulate  the  keeping,  carting,  conveying,  or  transport- 
ing of  gunpowder,  or  any  other  combustible  or  other  dangerous  material,  within  the 
bounds  of  the  city ;  also  to  regulate  the  use  of  lights  and  candles  in  livery  and  other 
stables ;  to  remove  or  prevent  the  construction  of  any  fireplace,  hearth,  chimney,  stove, 
oven,  boiler,  kettle,  or  apparatus,  used  in  any  manufactory  or  business,  which  might  be 
dangerous  in  causing  or  promoting  fires. 

On  the  ioth  of  January,  1814.  the  chief  engineer  reported  that  during  the  preceding 
year  the  sum  of  one  thousand  and  ninety-two  dollars  and  twenty  cents  had  been  re- 
ceived and  collected  from  fines,  which  were  applied  to  the  relief  of  disabled  firemen  and 
their  families,  and  for  educating  about  seventy  of  their  children.  On  the  above  date  it 
was  resolved  that  the  staves  of  office  to  be  carried  at  fires  by  members  of  the  Common 
Council  be  similarly  constructed  with  those  lately  made  (viz.:  with  a  gilded  flame  at  the 
top),  "and  that  the  justices  of  the  police  and  the  superintendent  of  repairs  be  fur- 
nished with  staves,  to  be  used  on  like  occasions." 

The  estimated  value  of  the  property  belonging  to  the  fire  department  at  the  close  of 


1814  was  as  follows: 

15  brick  buildings   $5,250  00 

32  wood  buildings   4,800  00 

2  lots  of  ground   1,600  00 

41  engines   26.200  00 

Floating  engine  and  boat   1,400  00 

4  old  engines  not  in  use   750  00 

13.085  feet  leather  hose   8,548  00 

1,000  fire  buckets   1,500  00 

4  trucks,  15  ladders,  and  20  fire  hooks  etc   1,200  00 

Signal  lanterns,  torches,  axes,  etc   150  00 

Drag  ropes   70  00 

Stoves  and  pipes   150  00 

Hose  wagon   175  00 

1  copper  pump   30  00 

20  loads  nut  wood   90  00 


Total  $51,913  00 


The  firemen  having  determined  to  apply  to  the  legislature  to  enact  a  law  granting 

62 


them  certain  privileges,  and  the  renewal  of  their  charter,  deemed  it  expedient  to  place  in 
the  hands  of  the  representatives  the  following  calculations,  showing  the  principles  on 
which  their  petition  was  founded : 

From  this  record  it*  appears  that  there  were  in — ■ 


I795>  5 

fires  and  9 

alarms, 

I605,  13 

fi  roc  1  t~i  s'a  r\  0  lor  m  c 

a 

A  vpr^l  crino" 

1  \.  V  tl  d. £l  illfcr 

"     6  " 

A  v  p  m  c*"  i  n  cr 

i\VV.l  Cl  ti  111  ^  

1/97,  10 

"  9 

13  375  per 

1807,  21 

"    10  " 

31  2/5  per 

1798,  6 

"  5 

a 

annum. 

1808,  23 

"    14  " 

annum. 

1799,  6 

"  6 

1809,  16 

"    25  " 

1800,  9 

"  9 

a 

1810,  25 

1811,  26 

"    19  " 

1801,  11 

"  6 

(( 

Averaging 

"    27  " 

Averaging 

1802,  10 

"  7 

a 

193/5  per 

l8l2, 20 

"    23  " 

55  2/5  per 

1803,  9 

"  8 

a 

annum. 

l8l3,37 

"    39  " 

annum. 

1804,  16 

"  13 

1814,  29 

"    32  " 

By  this  it  appears  their  duty  had  increased  in  a  fourfold  proportion  in  the  space  of 
twenty  years.  From  actual  calculation  on  the  average  of  the  preceding  five  years,  there 
was  an  increase  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  hours  actual  duty  per  annum,  or  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  days  in  ten  years,  allowing  ten  hours  for  a  day. 

The  amount  of  the  Fire  Department  Fund,  December  1,  1814,  was  ten  thousand  six 
hundred  and  twenty-two  dollars  and  thirty-eight  cents ;  the  amount  of  moneys  paid  the 
previous  year  for  the  relief  of  indigent  firemen,  their  widows,  and  the  schooling  of  their 
children,  was  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty-six  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents. 

On  April  11,  1815,  there  was  passed  "An  act  for  the  more  effectual  prevention  of 
fires  in  the  city  of  New  York."  This  extended  the  fire  limits  from  "a  line  beginning  at 
the  North  River,  at  a  place  called  Dekleyne's  Ferry,  a  little  to  the  northward  of  the  State 
Prison,  to  the  road  commonly  called  the  Sandy  Hill  road,  to  the  northward  of  the  Pot- 
ter's Field  and  the  house  of  William  Neilson,  to  the  Bowery,  to  a  street  commonly  called 
Stuyvesant  Street,  to  the  East  River." 

The  number  of  engineers  was  increased,  on  December  23,  1816,  from  eight  to  ten. 
The  first  hydrant  ever  used  in  New  York  was  located  in  front  of  the  dwelling  house 
of  Mr.  George  B.  Smith,  of  Engine  Company  No.  12,  in  Frankfort  Street,  in  the  year 
1817.    This  was  the  origin  of  the  hydrant  system  in  this  city. 

Anv  fireman,  while  in  the  performance  of  his  duty  as  such,  who  should  so  maim  or 
injure  himself  as  to  render  him  thereafter  unable  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  fireman,  or 
who  should  have  so  maimed  himself  since  the  fifth  of  the  preceding  May  (Act,  Febru- 
ary 28,  1817),  was  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  the  law  passed  the  twelfth  of  April,  1816, 
fixing  the  time  of  service  of  firemen  at  ten  years. 

With  some  of  the  church  congregations  it  was  made  the  express  duty  for  the  sextons 
to  ring  the  bells  at  an  alarm  of  fire,  and  with  others  it  was  an  implied  duty.  At  the  fire 
on  December  19.  1818,  only  a  few  of  the  bells  were  rung,  and  in  consequence  a  large 
proportion  of  the  firemen  were  not  alarmed. 

This  fact  was  taken  cognizance  of  by  the  Common  Council,  who  convened  a  meet- 
ing of  church  officers,  whereat  it  was  arranged  that  no  such  neglect  of  duty  should  oc- 
cur thereafter,  and,  to  facilitate  matters,  it  was  made  the  duty  of  the  watchmen  at  the 
cry  of  fire  immediately  to  alarm  the  sextons. 

The  propriety  of  taxing  the  fire  insurance  companies  of  the  ciy  for  the  whole  or  a 
proportion  of  the  expense  annuallv  incurred  for  the  department  was  discussed  in  the 
Common  Council  in  December,  1818,  and  the  Committee  on  Applications  to  the  Legisla- 
ture were  directed  to  inquire  into  its  expediency. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  dav  of  December,  1819.  the  Committee  on  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment reported  that  the  fire  buckets  were  being  rapidly  superseded  bv  the  use  of  hose, 
and,  on  their  recommendation,  the  use  of  fire  buckets  at  fires  were  dispensed  with. 

Very  soon  every  new  engine  was  furnished  with  suctions,  and  the  old  machines  were 
altered  so  as  to  use  them.  There  was  also  an  active  and  increasing  demand  for  an  ad- 
ditional supply  of  hose  and  hn<;e  carriages.  The  latter,  at  this  time,  consisted  of  a  reel 
placed  on  the  axle  of  two  cartwheels,  and  was  the  invention  of  Foreman  David  J.  Hubbs. 
It  was  either  attached  to  the  engine  bv  tail  hooks,  or  drawn  by  two  members  of  the 
companv.  "Hubbs'  Baby,"  as  the  simple  contrivance  was  called,  was  the  origin  of  the 
hose  companies. 

63 


Compliments  of 

Wyckpff,  Church  &  Partridge 

Broadway  at  56th  Street 
3\Cew  York  City 

C.  F  WYCKOFF,  "President 

Telephone  81 00  Columbus 


HAROLD  A.  WRIGHT  Telephone  Not.  2370-2371  Jludubon 

President  and  General  Manager 

Ifuosott  Automobile  Companij 

INCORPORATED 

SALESROOM  AND  GARAGE 
Nos.  514-516-518  WEST  145th  STREET 

Near  Amsterdam  Avenue 

NEW  YORK 

Motor    Car    Repairs    and  Accessories 

GARAGE  NEVER  CLOSED 

64 


According  to  the  Comptroller's  report  for  the  year  1819  the  amount  expended  for 
building  engine  houses  in  Fayette  and  Rose  Streets,  and  at  Greenwich,  for  ground  and 
building,  and  building  a  house  on  Beaver  Street,  was  twenty-one  thousand  and  ninety-six 
dollars,  and  on  account  of  engines  to  A.  W.  Hardenbrook,  five  thousand  and  ninety-six 
dollars  and  seventeen  cents. 

The  floating  engine  had  practically  been  in  disuse  during  the  year  1818,  lying  around 
most  of  the  time  at  her  slip  at  the  foot  of  Roosevelt  Street.  In  the  summer  of  1819  it  was 
taken  to  the  Corporation  Yard  on  Leonard  Street,  and  there  set  up  as  a  supply  engine  for 
extinguishing  fires  in  that  part  of  the  city,  A  company  was  formed  to  manage  it,  called 
Supply  Engine  Company  No.  1,  and  consisting  of  Jacob  P.  Roome,  foreman;  Jacob  Smith, 
Jr.,  assistant ;  William  Roome,  Isaac  Skatts,  William  M.  Wilson,  and  John  Bowman.  This 
company  was  stationed  over  a  large  well  of  water  in  the  Public  yard,  from  which  she  was 
never  moved,  and,  consequently,  never  used  only  when  the  fire  happened  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood.  The  duties  of  the  company,  therefore,  were  much  less  arduous  than  those 
of  other  firemen,  except  the  fire  wardens,  The  Common  Council,  in  view  of  these  facts, 
decided  in  January,  1829,  that  no  person  should  be  eligible  for  membership  in  that  company 
who  had  not  borne  the  burden  of  the  day  by  doing  more  active  duty  a  few  years  previous, 
and,  accordingly,  fixed  the  necessary  qualification  for  membership  therein  at  five  years' 
service  in  the  department.  But  this  action  was  repealed  in  February,  1830,  for  various 
reasons,  among  which  were,  that  the  term  of  service  of  firemen  had  been  reduced  from 
ten  to  seven  years,  and  that  during  the  existence  of  the  restriction  there  had  not  been  a 
single  application  for  membership. 

In  conformity  with  an  act  passed  in  April,  1820,  the  fire  wardens  of  the  city  were 
clothed  with  authority,  in  June  of  that  year,  to  discharge  the  duties  of  health  wardens,  and 
were  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Board  of  Health. 

The  value  of  the  estate  vested  in  the  Fire  Department  as  public  property  in  1820  was 
seventy-two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine  dollars. 

The  Common  Council,  on  December  26,  1820,  reduced  the  salary  of  the  chief  engineer, 
which  had  been  eight  hundred  dollars,  to  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  This  ordinance 
also  adopted  the  main  features  of  the  ordinance  of  May  5,  1817,  and  ordained  that  "no 
person  shall  be  elected  a  fireman  until  he  has  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one  years." 

On  the  tenth  of  June,  1822,  the  Common  Council  ordained  that  whenever  the  office  of 
any  of  the  engineers  of  the  Fh  e  Department  shall  become  vacant,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
engineers  of  the  Department  to  nominate  five  persons  from  among  the  foremen  as  suitable 
persons  to  supply  such  vacancy,  and  to  give  notice  thereof  to  the  foremen  of  the  fire  com- 
panies, and  to  require  them  to  meet  at  such  time  and  place  as  the  said  engineers  shall  ap- 
point ;  and  that  the  said  engineers  and  firemen  shall  then  and  there,  or  at  such  other  time 
and  place  as  they  may  appoint  by  joint  ballot,  designate  from  the  persons  so  nominated  the 
person  whom  they  may  wish  to  fill  such  vacancy ;  and  that  no  person  shall  be  considered 
as  so  designated  who  shall  not  receive  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  which  shall  be  given. 

The  strength  of  the  department  in  June,  1822,  was  one  thousand  two  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  men,  including  engineers  and  fire  wardens ;  forty-six  engines,  including  two  at 
the  new  almhouse ;  four  hook  and  ladder  trucks;  one  hose  wagon,  with  ten  thousand  two 
hundred  and  forty-five  feet  of  hose  in  good  order  ( including  six  hundred  feet  at  the  new 
almshouse)  ;  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  ten  feet  of  hose  ordinary  ;  and  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  bad ;  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  fire  buckets,  seventeen  ladders,  twenty- 
three  hooks,  one  machine  for  tbrowing  down  chimneys,  and  one  copper  pump.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1821,  old  Engine  No.  3  was  sold  for  six  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  and  a  new  one  pur- 
chased for  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars ;  in  June,  old  No.  25  was  sold  for  three  hundred 
dollars  exclusive  of  the  hose,  and  a  new  one  purchased  at  a  cost  of  eight  hundred  and  eight 
dollars  ;  in  October,  old  No.  5  was  sold  to  A.  W.  Hardenbrook  for  five  hundred  dollars ; 
in  November,  old  No.  9  was  sold  for  six  hundred  dollars.  During  1822  (up  to  June)  three 
new  engines,  Nos.  5,  9  and  28,  were  built  at  the  corporation  yard  under  the  direction  of 
Jacob  Roome,  superintendent  of  repairs,  at  a  cost  of  five  hundred  and  ninety-six  dollars 
each  ;  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  dollars  apiece  lower  than  the  corporation  had 
theretofore  paid  for  engines  of  a  similar  size,  and  in  point  of  workmanship  and  in  other 
respects  far  superior  (it  was  claimed)  to  any  other  belonging  to  the  corporation. 

A  building  law  was  enacted  by  the  legislature,  April  12.  1822,  looking  to  tbe  more 

65 


American  Branch 


PAN HARD  & 
LEVASSOR 
A  UTOMOBILE 
COMPANY 


Broadway  and  Sixty -second  Street 
North-west  Corner,       New  Yor\ 

A.  MASSENAT,  General  Manager 
A.  de  MAGNIN,  Assistant  Manager 


66 


~  at  2 


la  -  ^ 


£E  (u 


■s  - 8 

t  H  3 
^  n  u 

.  c  a- 

M  ^  ^ 
Si"" 

*J  ^  C/3 
3  _  a> 


<u  3 
D..CS  Jj 

P  c  u 


s-sl 

in  u  o. 

3 

P  i-  m 

t/i  c/j  1> 
cu  c  "o 

aj  -a  -D 
3 

O"  (LI 


U 


O  - 

03  <u 


3 


£2  a. 


3  3.« 

.2  £^ 

5)  QQ 

•D 
U 
D. 
6 


0! 

O 

=i 
ai 
z 

-  St 

1  u  O 
en  s_ 

g  r 

CQ  t 


$  j= 

.  o  o 
E  => 
f-  -  u 

On  O 

:^§- 

<L>  C/l 
C  C 

x-  O.  w 

°  3 13 

.  _  <L>  — 

=  ~u 
£.*  £ 

O 

-  -C 


•5.E-1 

E  11  3 
<  J=  -C 

-Co  >. 
e 

-°  arn 

-*=  c 


t/)  o 


xi  c 
°  "2 
>-  '35 

■S  to 

U  XI 

.£  <u 

<f>  c 

<u  ° 

±!  ae 
I-  c 


ae 
c 


Q. 

<u 


67 


FIREMEN! 
Don't  Let  This 
Building  Burn 

^  If  you  do  you  will  let  one  of 
the  best  equipped  advertising 
agencies  in  the  world  go  up  in 
smoke. 

^  On  the  fifth  floor  of  the  Mer- 
cantile Building  the  J.  Walter 
Thompson  Company  is  located 
occupying  the  whole  floor. 
^  The  J.  Walter  Thompson 
Company  is  an  advertising  or- 
ganization based  on  forty-four 
years  of  growth  and  experience. 
It  conducts  the  advertising  of 
some  of  the  biggest  enterprises 
in  the  United  States. 
^  With  headquarters  in  New 
York,  we  have  offices  in  Chic- 
ago, Boston,  Cleveland,  Cincin- 
nati and  Detroit. 
^  We  are  prepared  to  plan  ad- 
vertising campaigns,  write  copy, 
do  bill  posting  and  carry  on  ad- 
vertising operations  of  any 
magnitude. 

J  Walter  Thompson  Co. 

NEW  YORK,  44-60  East  23d  Street 
BOSTON,  31  Milk  Street 
CLEVELAND,  American  Trust  Bldg. 
CHICAGO,  The  Rookery 
CINCINNATI,  First  National  Bank  Bldg. 
DETROIT,  Trussed  Concrete  Bldg. 


iitfffliii 
ii  ii  jiii 

tflllDnf 


■IHI  III  IK  II!  HI 


III  III  III  HI  HI 

J  WALTER  THOMPSON  CO  ODvCITisimg  ih  »u 

IT "311  Tn  in  in  m 


q 

in 

iul 

in 

in 
in 

nn 


68 


substantial  construction  of  new  buildings,  and  tbe  imposition  of  penalties  for  any  infrac- 
tion of  the  same.  Yet  another  act  was  passed  the  following  year  (April  9,  1823)  of  a 
similar  nature,  requiring  that  certain  buildings  should  be  fireproof.  Other  laws,  of  like 
scope  and  tendency,  were  passed  at  various  subsequent  dates. 

So  eager  were  young  men  to  put  on  the  red  shirt  and  the  helmet  of  the  firemen  and 
be  recognized  as  such,  that  it  was  only  by  the  most  rigid  supervision  and  discrimination 
they  were  prevented  from  being  enrolled  in  the  companies,  and  the  law  was  on  all  oc- 
casions strictly  enforced.  But  in  the  winter  of  1822-23  a  great  deficiency  of  firemen  was 
experienced,  and  a  memorial  was  presented  by  the  fire  department  to  the  corporation  pray- 
ing for  an  amendment  of  the  law  so  as  to  permit  young  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen 
and  twenty-one  to  be  chosen  as  firemen.  But  inasmuch  as  the  law  passed  April  9,  1813, 
prescribed  that  none  but  freeholders  and  freemen  were  eligible,  the  Council  decided  that 
they  had  no  power  to  do  as  requested. 

For  the  six  years  preceding  1823  the  cash  expenses  of  the  corporation  for  engines  and 
apparatus,  including  the  ground  purchases  and  the  engine  houses  erected,  amounted  to 
seventy-nine  thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-six  dollars  and  ninety-four  cents,  averaging 
thirteen  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-two  dollars  per  annum.  The  value  of  the 
estate  vested  in  that  species  of  public  property  was  estimated  in  1820  at  seventy-two 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine  dollars. 

The  number  of  engine  companies  (including  hook  and  ladder  companies)  in  January, 
1813.  was  forty-seven,  to  which  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifteen  men,  all  told,  were 
attached,  all  of  whom,  when  they  should  have  served  ten  years  from  1816,  were  to  be  , 
exempted  from  serving  as  jurors,  and  all  military  duty  thereafter.  These  facts  suggested 
the  question  whether  the  existing  number  of  engines  was  not  more  than  was  needed,  and 
whether  some  of  them  could  not  be  dispensed  with,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  sum  of  nine 
thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-six  dollars  was  asked  for  in  the  annual  estimate  for 
departmental  expenses  for  1823  for  the  Fire  Department.  At  that  period  no  city  in  the 
Union  incurred  fire  department  expenses  in  any  way  proportioned  to  the  city  of  New  York. 
In  Philadelphia  the  engines  and  apparatus  were  furnished  by  individuals,  and  the  privilege 
of  exemption  from  jury  and  military  duty  were  considered  a  sufficient  remuneration,  the 
City  Council  only  appropriating  about  two  thousand  dollars  toward  the  necessary  repairs. 
The  same  economical  system  was  pursued  in  the  other  cities  throughout  the  United  States. 
Mayor  Allen,  calling  the  attention  of  the  Common  Council  to  this  matter,  said  that  while 
they  were  drawing  upon  the  property  of  the  citizens  in  taxes  so  large  an  amount  for  fire 
purposes,  and  at  the  same  time  compelling  them  to  perform  nearly  double  duty  as  jurors  in 
consequence  of  the  exemption  granted  the  firemen,  it  was  no  more  than  reasonable  that  the 
benefit  to  be  derived  in  a  public  point  of  view  should  be  commensurate  with  the  sacrifice. 
Before  the  establishment  of  fire  insurance  companies  in  New  York,  the  benefits  derived 
from  the  Fire  Department  were  perhaps  equal  to  the  expenditure.  But  it  was  very  ques- 
tionable then,  when  almost  every  species  of  property  liable  to  be  destroyed  or  injured  by 
fire  was  insured  against  loss,  whether  any  material  public  benefit  was  derived.  The  sub- 
ject was  of  sufficient  importance  to  the  Common  Council  to  cause  an  inquiry  to  be  in- 
stituted whether  the  finances  could  not  be  relieved  by  a  reduction  of  the  expenses  for  the 
Fire  Department.  On  the  thirteenth  of  January  the  Common  Council  decided  to  apply  to 
the  legislature  for  authority  to  assess  and  levy  annuallv  a  tax  on  fire  insurance  companies 
to  be  applied  toward  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  Fire  Department. 

In  conformity  with  the  presentation  of  the  condition  of  the  finances  by  Mayor  Allen, 
and  his  suggestion  that  retrenchment  be  introduced,  if  possible,  the  chief  engineer,  in  July. 
1823,  reported  that  retrenchment  was  practicable  only  in  the  matter  of  hose,  substituting 
hemp  hose  for  leather,  which  was  only  half  the  price. 

The  strength  of  the  Fire  Department  in  June  1823,  was  one  thousand  two  hundred 
and  eighty-four  men,  all  told ;  forty-six  engines,  including  two  at  the  new  almsbouse ; 
four  hook  and  ladder  trucks,  one  hose  wagon,  and  eleven  thousand  five  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  of  hose,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent ;  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  fire 
buckets,  sixteen  ladders,  twenty-three  hooks,  one  machine  for  pulling  down  chimneys, 
and  one  copper  pump. 

Besides  the  regularly  appointed  firemen,  there  were  attached  to  each  company,  a 
number  of  self-constituted  firemen,  who  were  known  as  "volunteers."  Their  services,  it 
appears,  were  not  appreciated  by  the  Common  Council,  and  on  the  twenty-first  of  June, 

6g 


Standard  Oil  Company  of  New  York 

Refiners  and  Dealers  in 
all  Products  of  Petroleum 


Buffalo 
Jamestown 


124  Maiden  Lane 


DEPOTS  IN  NEW  YORK  STATE 

Rochester  Albany 
Binghamton  Utica 

DEPOTS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 

Foot  of  East  10th  Street     610-612  West  46th  Street 


Syracuse 
Elmira 


Foot  of  East  120th  Street 


DEPOTS  IN  BROOKLYN 

Foot  of  North  10th  Street      Greenpoint  Avenue  and  Newtown  Creek      Corner  Bond  and  First  Streets 
From  which  all  grades  of  Petroleum  are  delivered  by  tank  wagons, 
barrels,  cases  and  cans,  drums,  etc. 

LAUNCH  NAPHTHA  MAY  ALSO  BE  OBTAINED  AT  ANY  OF  THE  FOLLOWING  POINTS 


STATEN  ISLAND 

Port  Richmond  Tottenville 

NEW  YORK  STATE 

City  Island 
Portchester 
New  Rochelle 

Tarrytown  (Tarrytown  Yacht  Club) 

Yonkers 

M  amaroneck 


LONG  ISLAND 


Freeport 

Rockaway  Point 
Greenport 
Lloyds  Neck 
Montauk 
Northport 


Cold  Spring  Harbor 
Glenwood  Landing 
Port  Washington 

(Manhasset  Bay  Yacht  Club; 
Oyster  Bay 

(Ovster  Bay  Canal  &  Dock  Co.) 
College  Point 

|  Knickerbocker  Yacht  Club) 
Bayville 
Port  Jefferson 
Bath  Beach 


WE   ALSO   HANDLE  A  FULL   LINE  OF 

New  Perfection  Wick         Perfection  Smokeless         Rayo  Reading  and 
Blue  Flame  Oil  Cook  Stoves  Oil  Heater  Library  Lamps 

Roadbed  Oil,  now  so  generally  used  for  laying  dust  and  improving  conditions  of  roads  throughout  the 
country,  may  be  obtained  in  any  quantities  upon  application  to  26  Broadway,  New  York  City,  N.  Y. 


70 


1824,  a  resolution  was  approved,  and  directed  as  a  circular  to  each  company,  ordering 
them  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  these  men,  and,  in  case  of  their  non-compliance,  to 
send  the  engine,  hook  and  ladder,  or  hose  cart,  as  the  case  might  be,  to  the  corporation 
yard,  and  report  the  company  to  the  Common  Council. 

In  June,  1824,  the  condition  of  the  Fire  Department  called  forth  great  praise  from  a 
special  committee  of  the  Common  Council,  who  made  a  tour  of  inspection,  and  declared 
that  it  was  not  surpassed  by  any  other  in  the  United  States.  The  volunteer  boys,  who 
assumed  the  dress  and  authority  of  firemen  attached  to  companies,  were  the  source  of 
much  annoyance,  by  causing  false  alarms  of  fire,  whereby  the  members  were  constantly 
harassed  and  fatigued,  and  the  machines  injured  to  a  great  degree. 

According  to  the  report  of  Chief  Engineer  Jameson  Cox,  the  condition  of  the  depart- 
ment in  June,  1825,  was  :  Forty  engines  in  good  order,  four  indifferent,  and  two  ordinary ; 
four  hook  and  ladder  trucks  and  one  hose  wagon,  ten  thousand  five  hundred  an  seventy- 
four  feet  of  hose,  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  fire  buckets,  eighteen  ladders,  and  twenty- 


firemen  Fighting  flames,  1840 

three  hooks.  With  companies  complete,  the  force  would  number  one  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  men,  all  told,  but  there  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  vacancies. 
During  the  year  engine  houses  had  been  built  for  Companies  Nos.  10,  19,  and  33. 

The  Committee  on  the  Fire  Department  reported  on  the  twentieth  of  June  on  the  sub- 
ject of  constructing  public  cisterns,  and  recommended  a  resolution,  which  was  adopted, 
that  the  street  commissioner  be  directed  to  prepare  ordinances  for  the  construction  of  ten 
public  cisterns,  the  same  to  be  used  on  the  occasion  of  fire  by  the  fire  department.  Subse- 
quently, on  the  nineteenth  of  December,  1825,  ordinances  were  passed  for  the  construction 
of  five  additional  cisterns.  On  the  twenty-third  of  the  same  month,  the  Committee  on  the 
Fire  Department  were  instructed  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  filling  all  the  public 
cisterns  with  water  forthwith,  and  the  fire  companies  were  requested  to  volunteer  their 
services  to  carry  the  above  into  effect. 

A  resolution  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  Fire  Department,  in  conjunction 
with  the  chief  engineer,  to  mature  a  report  to  the  board  of  some  more  energetic  and  effi- 


71 


cient  plan  to  protect  the  Bremen  when  on  duty  at  fires  from  the  encroachments  of  the 
surrounding  populace.  On  the  thirteenth  of  January,  1826,  the  committee  reported  the 
following  resolution,  which  was  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  His  Honor,  the  Mayor,  be  requested  to  address  a  circular  to  each  of 
the  foremen  of  the  several  companies  of  fire  wardens,  calling  their  attention  to  that  sec- 
tion of  the  law  pointing  out  their  duties  at  fires,  and  that  each  of  them  would  enforce  the 
same  on  the  memhers  of  their  companies,  and  that  the  penalties  which  may  hereafter  he 
incurred  by  the  constables  and  marshals  of  the  city  for  not  attending  fires,  be  enforced. 

On  the  second  of  January,  1827,  seven  additional  cisterns  were  ordered  by  the  Com- 
mon Council,  and  eighteen  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  August,  1828. 

The  firemen  of  the  city  were  an  incorporated  body,  under  the  name  and  title  of  the 
Fire  Department  of  the  City  of  Xew  York,  and  had  certain  emoluments  allowed  them, 
which  they  appropriated  to  charitable  purposes,  such  as  giving  pensions  to  the  widows  of 
deceased  firemen,  making  donations  to  indig  nt  disabled  firemen,  and  furnishing  necessary 
clothing  to  children  of  firemen,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  attend  the  public  schools.  Each 
Company  appointed  annually  two  of  their  number  to  represent  them  in  the  fire  department, 
and  such  representatives,  when  assembled,  appointed  out  of  the  body  of  firemen  in  the  city 
a  board  of  trustees,  who  were  intrusted  with  the  funds,  and  at  whose  discretion  widows 
were  put  on  the  pension  list,  and  donations  were  made.  In  consequence  of  severe  and 
heavy  losses  which  the  department  had  sustained  in  1826  by  several  moneyed  institutions 
in  the  city,  the  board  of  trustees  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  would  be  under  the 
necessity  of  suspending  the  pensions  and  donations,  unless  they  received  assistance  from 
their  fellow-citizens.  In  January,  1827,  the  Common  Council,  recognizing  the  close  con- 
nection between  the  interests  of  the  firemen  and  the  corporation,  decided  that  it  was  proper 
and  judicious  to  lend  a  helping  hand,  and  directed  the  comptroller  to  issue  his  warrant 
for  one  thousand  dollars  in  favor  of  the  treasurer  of  the  fire  department  fund.  Two  years 
after,  another  one  thousand  dollars  was  donated,  because  the  frequency  of  the  fires  in  the 
fall  of  1829,  and  the  consequent  increasing  demand  on  the  treasury  of  the  fire  department 
fund  from  disabled  and  sick  firemen  had  left  the  treasury  in  December  of  that  year  almost 
exhausted.  As  many  as  eighty-eight  widows,  and  a  large  number  of  orphan  children, 
had  to  be  provided  for  in  that  year. 

At  the  fire  at  the  Yauxhall  Garden  in  August,  1828,  one  of  the  engine  companies,  and 
several  members  of  other  companies,  refused  to  perform  service,  and  a  rumor  prevailed 
throughout  the  city  that  the  firemen  as  a  body  had  refused  to  obey  orders,  which  caused 
general  alarm  among  the  inhabitants.  Cpon  investigation,  it  was  found  that  the  demoral- 
ization was  very  limited,  and  measures  were  taken  to  keep  up  the  efficiency  of  the  force. 

"Firemen's  Hall,"  in  Fulton  Street,  had  accommodations  for  four  engines.  The 
placing  of  so  many  machines  in  one  immediate  vicinity  had  been  found  to  be  prejudicial 
to  the  services  of  the  department,  and  in  some  instances  to  be  a  nuisance  to  the  neighbor- 
hood. These  facts,  superadded  to  the  necessity  of  providing  engines  for  the  upper  part 
of  the  city  by  taking  them  from  the  lower  part  those  that  could  well  be  spared  and  were 
poorly  supplied  with  men.  had  gradually  caused  the  reduction  of  the  number  of  engines 
there  until,  in  February,  1829,  only  one  was  left,  and  the  removal  of  that,  too,  had  been 
decided  on.  The  corporations  concluded  that  the  ground  occupied  for  Firemen's  Hall 
being  no  longer  needed,  they  would  sell  it  by  auction,  which  was  done  on  April  1. 

In  June,  1829,  there  were  in  the  department  forty-eight  engines,  five  hook  and  ladder 
trucks,  with  twenty-six  ladders  and  twenty-nine  hooks,  and  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
thirty-two  men  with  full  companies,  but  only  eight  hundred  and  sixty-nine  in  actual  ser- 
vice, there  being  five  hundred  and  sixty-three  vacancies. 

Fngine  No.  28  was  located  on  corporation  ground  on  Mercer  Street,  and  the  Council 
had  directed  that  hook  and  ladder  Xo.  6  should  also  be  stationed  there.  It  was  therefore 
decided  in  August.  1829,  to  erect  a  two-story  brick  building  on  the  lot.  in  which,  besides 
housing  these  companies,  a  ward  court  could  be  accommodated  and  the  meetings  of  the 
fire  department  be  held. 

Although  the  natural  advantages  of  Xew  York  in  other  respects  were  not  excelled, 
nor  perhaps  equalled,  by  any  city  in  the  world,  yet  it  had  to  be  admitted  that  the  supply 
of  water  for  household  purposes  and  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires  was,  in  1829,  very 
meagre.  Yarious  schemes  had  been  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  water  into  the 
city,  but  none  had,  as  yet.  complied  with  the  main  object  of  their  charters,  so  far   as  the 


72 


public  was  concerned,  and  it  was  found  that  similar  incorporations  of  private  individuals, 
whether  they  proposed  at  their  commencement  to  furnish  pure  and  wholesome  water  or 
pure  and  first  quality  gas,  had  an  eye  only  to  the  profits  of  their  incorporations,  and  the 
public  suffered  under  their  monopolies. 

The  water  pipes  of  the  Manhattan  Company  extended  to  such  parts  of  the  city  as  they 
deemed  advisable  to  put  them  in  on  the  score  of  profit,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  al- 
though not  possessed  of  good  water,  had  it,  however,  of  a  quality  superior  to  that  supplied 
by  the  Manhattan  Company,  and,  therefore,  the  residents  were  unwilling  generally  to 
take  the  Manhattan  water.  The  result  was  that  all  that  part  of  the  city  lying  above 
Grand  Street,  on  Broadway,  or  F'earl  Street,  on  the  east  side  of  the  city,  did  not  have  the 
use  of  the  Manhattan  water  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fires.  It  became  necessary, 
therefore,  for  the  corporation  to  obtain  a  supply  of  water  for  that  purpose  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  city. 

The  breadth  of  the  island  at  Grand  Street  was  then  reckoned  about,  two  miles,  and 
this  did  not  materially  differ  as  high  as  Fourteenth  Street.  The  extreme  distance  between 
those  points  was,  consequently,  one  mile,  and  to  bring  water  from  either  river  at  the  ex- 
treme distance  would  require  twenty-six  engines,  and  thus  the  whole  engine  establish- 
ment could  not  form  two  lines.  The  furnishing  water  by  engines  from  the  river  was  not 
only  too  limited  a  mode  to  be  at  all  relied  on  for  that  section  of  the  city,  but  was  also 
too  laborious  on  the  firemen. 

Another  mode  of  supply  was  by  cisterns,  which  was  in  operation  at  this  period  to  a 
limited  extent.  The  corporation  had  forty  public  cisterns,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-four  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  usually  contained  one  hundred  hogsheads.  To  provide  for  the  section 
of  the  city  between  Fourteenth  and  Grand  Streets,  on  Broadway,  and  Fourteenth  and 
Pearl  Streets,  on  Chatham,  by  cisterns,  would  require  the  construction  of  at  least  sixty 
additional  cisterns,  on  the  scale  of  a  cistern  for  each  one  thousand  square  feet,  which,  at 
an  expense  of  six  hundred  dollars  each,  would  call  for  an  expenditure  of  thirty-six  thou- 
sand dollars. 

In  March,  1829,  the  corporation  decided  to  lay  down  two  lines  of  iron  pipes  for  the 
security  against  fire  of  the  section  of  the  city  before  described,  one  line  of  tubes  to  run 
from  Fourteenth  Street  through  the  Bowery,  to  its  termination  at  Chatham  Street,  and  a 
line  of  tubes  from  Fourteenth  Street  through  Broadway  to  Canal  Street,  connecting  with 
a  reservoir  containing  two  thousand  hogsheads  (or  as  much  as  twenty  cisterns)  on  Four- 
teenth Street. 

•  The  committee  of  the  fire  department  reported  on  the  sixteenth  of  November,  1829, 
that,  although  they  had  excavated  only  fifty  feet  in  depth  at  Thirteenth  Street,  yet  the 
quantity  of  water  would  be  sufficient  to  fill  the  reservoir  and  pipes,  as  it  was  estimated 
that  seventy  hogsheads  of  water  were  issued  a  day  ;  that  the  cast-iron  tank  was  received 
from  Philadelphia,  and  that  the  same  should  be  inclosed  with  brick  or  wooden  building — 
the  cost  of  the  former  being  estimated  at  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  and  of  the 
latter  two  thousand  dollars.    Which  report  was  agreed  to. 

A  fireman  should  have  experienced  five  rears'  service  before  he  was  eligible  for  ap- 
pointment as  a  warden.  In  consequence  of  the  reduction  of  the  term  of  service  of  fire- 
men from  ten  to  seven  years,  the  wardens  encountered  no  small  difficulty  in  procuring 
the  aid  of  such  competent  persons  as  were  willing  to  do  the  duty  of  wardens  for  the  short 
space  of  time — two  years — during  which  they  were  eligible  for  office.  The  ordinance 
affecting  this  matter  was  therefore  amended  in  November,  1830.  reducing  the  term  of 
service  of  eligibility  from  five  to  three  years. 

The  legislature,  on  April  16,  1831,  extended  the  charter  of  the  firemen  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  passed  March  20,  1798,  to  the  year  i8fxx  The  corporation  was  likewise 
empowered  to  purchase,  hold,  and  convey  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  for  the  use  and 
objects  for  which  the  said  corporation  was  instituted,  "but  such  real  or  personal  estate 
shall  not  exceed  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars." 

This  act  was  amended  March  25,  185 1,  by  which  the  said  corporation  could  hold  and 
convey  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  for  the  use  already  mentioned,  but  not  to  exceed  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

An  important  State  law,  relative  to  the  prevention  of  fires  in  the  city  of  New  York,  was 
enacted  on  the  20th  of  April,  1830.  This  law  was  quite  lengthy,  containing  forty-two 
sections.    Reference  can  be  made  only  to  its  general  features.     Party  walls,  the  law 


73 


COMPLIMENTS  OF  

palmer  &  Smujrr  HHamtfartitring  do. 


k— seldIn  A^uitoinniolbnlles 


1620-22-24  BROADWAY,   NE1W  YORK 

TELEPHONES     5030     TO     5035  COLUMBUS 


Compliments  and  Best  Wishes  of  the 


Broadway  and  63d  Street,  New  Yorfy 


-4 


declared,  shall  be  constructed  of  stone  or  brick ;  outside  party  walls  shall  not  be  less  than 
eight  inches  thick,  except  flues  of  chimneys ;  party  or  end  walls  shall  rise  and  be  extended 
to  the  roof,  and  so  far  through  the  same  as  to  meet  and  be  joined  to  the  slate,  tile  or  other 
covering  thereof,  by  a  layer  of  mortar  or  cement ;  beams  and  other  timbers  in  the  party 
walls  shall  be  separated  from  each  other,  at  least  four  inches,  by  brick  or  mortar  ;  all 
hearths  shall  be  supported  with  arches  of  stone  or  brick.  No  timber  shall  be  used  in  the 
front  or  rear  of  any  building  within  such  fire  limits  where  stone  is  now  commonly  used ; 
every  building  within  the  fire  limits,  which  may  hereafter  be  damaged  by  fire,  to  an  amount 
equal  to  two-thirds  of  the  whole  value  thereof,  after  the  lapse  of  at  least  fifteen  years 
from  the  time  of  its  first  erection,  shall  be  repaired  or  built  according  to  the  provisions 
of  this  act ;  no  wooden  shed  exceeding  twelve  feet  in  height  at  the  peak  shall  be  erected 
within  the  fire  limits. 

A  large  part  of  the  act  is  devoted  to  the  regulation  of  the  keeping  and  storage  of 
gunpowder. 


Fire  at  the  Tombs  (Centre,  street),  1842 


A  law,  forming  a  hydrant  company,  was  passed  by  the  Common  Council  on  July  16, 
1831.  This  company  consisted  of  a  foreman,  assistant,  a  clerk,  and  twenty  men,  who  were 
firemen  and  hydrant  men.  It  was  their  duty,  on  an  alarm  of  fire,  to  proceed  to  the 
hydrants,  and  see  to  the  water  being  properly  let  out,  that  the  hydrants  were  not  injured, 
that  they  were  properly  secured  and  put  in  order  after  the  fire  was  extinguished  ;  and  also 
to  see  that  the  stop-cocks  were  kept  in  order ;  and  generally  to  attend  to  the  engines  being 
supplied  with  water  from  the  reservoir;  to  report  all  injuries  and  defects  which  they 
might  discover  in  any  part  of  the  works  to  the  chief  engineer.  The  caps  of  said  com- 
pany were  painted  black,  and  had  the  words  "Hydrant  Company"  on  the  frontispiece 
thereof. 

A  fire  and  building  department  was  created  and  organized  by  a  law  passed  and 
approved  in  October,  183 r .  It  was  composed  of  three  "discreet  and  proper  persons,'' 
known  as  the  commissioners  of  the  fire  and  building  department,  and  the  commissioners 

75 


were  respectfully  designated  a  superintendent  of  buildings,  chief  engineer,  and  commis- 
sioner of  the  fire  department. 

The  duty  of  the  superintendent  of  buildings  required  him  to  advertise  for  estimates 
for  all  public  buildings  which  might  thereafter  lie  erected  under  the  authority  of  the  Com- 
mon Council,  for  all  repairs  to  public  buildings  then  in  use,  etc. 

It  was  the  duty  of  the  chief  engineer  to  report  the  names  of  persons  who  may  be 
designated  bv  the  engineers  and  foremen  as  suitable  persons  to  be  appointed  by  the  Com- 
mon Council  to  fill  vacancies  in  fire  companies  ;  in  all  cases  of  fire  to  have  the  sole  and 
absolute  command  and  control  over  all  engines  and  members  of  the  fire  department ;  to 
direct  the  other  engineers  to  take  proper  measures  that  the  fire  engines  were  suitably 
arranged  and  duly  worked  ;  to  examine,  once  in  every  month,  into  the  condition  and 
number  of  the  fire  engines,  and  buckets,  and  other  fire  apparatus  and  fire  engine  houses; 
and  report  the  same  to  the  Common  Council  twice  in  every  year  ;  and  whenever  any  of 
the  engines  and  apparatus  should  require  to  be  repaired  or  new  ones  built,  the  chief  en- 
gineer should  personally  inspect  the  building  of  the  same;  to  report  in  writing  all  acci- 
dents by  fire,  with  the  probable  causes  thereof,  etc. 

Further,  the  commissioners  should  give  their  personal  attention  and  supervision  to 
the  laying  down  of  all  such  water  pipes  as  the  Common  Council  may  direct,  take  charge 
of  the  reservoir  and  water  establishment  in  Thirteenth  Street,  see  that  the  hydrants 
were  in  order,  etc. 

The  commissioners  were  obliged  to  give  bonds  in  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars, 
besides  being  sworn,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  their  duties. 

Pursuant  to  the  organizing  of  the  new  department,  the  enlargement  of  the  house  of 
Fire  Fngine  Company  No.  10,  the  erection  of  a  two-story  brick  house  on  the  lot  corner 
of  Delancey  and  Attorney  Streets  for  the  accommodation  of  a  fire  engine,  hook  and  ladder 
company  and  hose  truck,  the  building  of  a  hose  house  in  Wooster  Street,  near  Houston 
Street,  the  procuring  of  tour  thousand  feet  of  hose,  and  the  construction  of  a  new  engine 
for  Company  No.  11.  were  undertaken  immediately. 

The  proviso  in  the  law  forming  a  hydrant  company,  approved  July  16,  1831,  was  re- 
pealed in  .May,  1832.  and  thenceforth  it  was  ordained  that  no  individual  could  be  eligible 
for  appointment  as  hydrant  man  unless  he  had  served  as  a  fireman  for  at  least  three  years. 

Although  quasi  officers  of  the  municipality,  it  was  charged  that  certain  firemen  fre- 
quently exhibited  as  much  indifference  to  the  injunctions  of  the  authorities  as  might  be 
looked  for  only  from  the  lawless  class.  Hence,  in  July.  1832,  it  became  necessary  to  pro- 
mulgate a  law  ordaining  that  any  fireman  found  guilty  of  an  offense  against  the  ordin- 
ances of  the  Common  Council,  and  having  thereby  resigned  or  been  expelled,  should  not 
be  eligible  to  an  appointment  to  any  office  of  trust,  in  any  company,  nor  reappointed  a 
fireman  in  any  case. 

Also,  it  was  not  uncommon  for  the  foreman  or  engineer  of  an  engine  company  to  hire 
out  the  engine,  and  to  lend  it,  on  his  own  responsibility,  which  was  subversive  of  all  sem- 
blance of  discipline,  and  impaired  of  efficiency  of  the  particular  company.  Consequently, 
a  provision  was  incorporated  in  the  law  of  July.  1832,  that  no  fire  engine  should  be  let 
out  for  hire,  or  lent  in  any  case,  with  permission  from  the  alderman  or  assistant  alderman 
wherein  it  was  wanted  to  be  used,  and  the  chief  engineer,  in  default  thereof,  and  the 
fireman  so  offending,  would  be  removed  from  the  Fire  Department. 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  epidemic  of  cholera  in  1832  the  working  force  of  the 
department  was  much  weakened  by  reason  of  sickness  and  death.  Very  often  not  enough 
men,  nor  even  supernumeraries,  boys  and  youths  who  loved  to  linger  in  the  shadow  of  the 
engine  house  and  be  permitted  to  mingle  with  the  hardy  fire  fighters,  could  be  mustered 
to  drag  the  engine  to  the  scene  of  the  conflagration.  Horses  had  to  be  brought  into  re- 
quisition, and  it  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  in  November,  1832,  the  comptroller  was  au- 
thorized to  pay  the  bill  of  James  Gulick  for  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three  dollars  and 
seventy-five  cents,  for  horses  "to  drag  the  engines  and  hook  and  ladder  trucks  to  the 
fires  during  the  late  epidemic." 

The  custom  was  in  those  days,  upon  the  outbreak  of  a  fire,  to  ring  the  church  bells  as 
well  as  the  fire  bells,  and  when  the  fire  happened  during  the  night,  the  watchman  in  his 
tower  should  ring  the  alarm,  and  hand  out  of  the  window  of  the  cupola  a  pole  with  a 
lantern  on  the  end  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  fire,  so  that  the  firemen  and  citizens 
could  readily  know  the  whereabouts  of  the  fire.  Further,  the  watchman  (the  police)  were 

76 


obliged  to  call  out  the  street  or  between  what  streets  the  fire  was  located.  The  law  of 
the  municipality  regarding  these  observances  were  inflexible,  delinquency  on  the  part  of 
the  bellringers  or  the  watchmen  being  visited  with  severe  penalties. 

The  cost  of  supporting  the  fire  department  by  the  city  varied  considerably.  In  1830 
it  amounted  to  twenty-two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars.  The  actual 
number  of  fires  that  happened  in  that  year  were  one  hundred  and  nineteen  ;  false  alarms, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  ;  and  the  loss  of  property,  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars.  In  183 1  the  expenses  of  the  department 
amounted  to  twelve  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars. 

Careful  calculations  showed  that  although  it  cost  in  1832  only  eighteen  thousand 
dollars  to  maintain  the  fire  department,  the  individual  firemen  were  taxed  in  their  services 
two  hundred  and  eighty-four  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  annually.  It  is  true  their 
labors  were  rendered  voluntarily,  and  they  had  an  equivalent,  but  it  did  not  render  it  less 
imperative  on  the  city  authorities,  as  the  common  guardians  of  this  great  community,  to 
diminish  the  labors  and  personal  exposures  and  risks  of  that  meritorious,  skillful  and 
patriotic  class  of  citizens. 

The  alleged  improper  and  riotous  conduct  of  the  members  of  several  companies  of 
the  department,  and  the  congregating  of  idle  and  dissolute  persons  in  the  engine  houses, 
had  been  for  several  months  the  subject  of  complaint  from  residents  in  the  vicinity  of 
engine  houses.  Boys  and  young  men,  too,  obtained  ever  ready  access  to  the  engines,  and 
made  it  a  matter  of  amusement  to  raise  an  alarm  of  fire  as  an  excuse  or  cover  to  get  the 
engines  out  and  have  a  run.  Evidently  the  engine  companies  could  prevent  those  scenes. 
But  in  cases  of  fire  the  companies  desired  some  assistance  from  these  boys  and  young 
men,  which  induced  them  to  countenance  the  assemblages.  The  Common  Council  inves- 
tigated the  complaints,  and  in  October,  1834,  reported  that  the  members  of  some  of  the 
companies  could  not  be  depended  upon  to  prevent  the  engine  houses  being  entered  and 
frequented  by  persons  other  than  those  belonging  to  the  fire  department,  and  suggested 
the  enactment  of  a  law  providing  a  remedy. 

That  a  prompt  alarm  of  fire  might  be  given,  a  watchman  was  stationed  at  all  times  in 
the  cupola  of  the  City  Hall.  The  law  so  providing  was  approved  by  the  mayor  April  1, 
1835.  The  chief  engineer,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  mayor,  was  empowered  to  ap- 
point a  competent  number  of  persons  to  perform  the  duty  of  such  watchmen,  day  and 
night,  subject  severally  to  removal  by  the  chief  engineer.  These  bellringers,  nevertheless, 
were  amenable  at  all  times  during  the  night  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  watch 
department.  On  the  occurrence  of  any  fire,  the  City  Hall  bell  should  be  rung  by  the 
wachman  on  duty  in  the  cupola,  and  the  ringing  thereof  maintained  during  the  continu- 
ance of  the  fire.  Notice  of  the  locality  of  the  fire  was  given  by  ringing  said  bell  in  a  man- 
ner prescribed  by  directions  given  by  the  committee  on  fire  and  water  and  the  chief  en- 
gineer, and  by  hanging  out  a  light  in  the  direction  of  the  fire.  For  neglect  of  any  of  the 
duties  required  by  this  law,  the  penalty  imposed  was  removal  from  office  by  the  chief 
engineer  or  captains  of  the  watch. 

Upon  the  happening  of  any  fire,  the  several  watchhouses  and  market  bells  were  rung, 
and  also  all  other  alarm  bells,  and  the  same  was  done  whenever  any  one  alarm  bell  should 
ring,  and  the  ringing  thereof  continued  until  the  city  bell  had  stopped. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  facts  that  the  fire  department  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of 
the  city.  The  people  were  quick  to  recognize  the  importance  of  keeping  up,  both  in  num- 
bers and  efficiency,  a  body  of  men  so  necessary  to  the  welfare  of  the  growing  metropolis. 
Year  by  year,  nay,  almost  month  by  month,  additions  to  the  department  were  made,  and 
alterations  effected  to  improve  it.  The  enactment  of  the  new  building  laws  was  a  great 
help  to  the  firemen,  and  its  enactment  gave  them  a  great  advantage  over  their  natural 
enemy — an  advantage  which  prior  to  this  they  did  not  possess. 

It  will  also  be  noted  how  eager  the  firemen  were  to  maintain  an  esprit  de  corps.  Be- 
fore the  period  we  are  just  concluding  efforts  had  been  made  to  diminish  the  number  of 
the  hangers-on  of  the  department.  As  the  city  grew  these  parasites  increased,  and  the 
difficulty  was  all  the  greater  to  keep  them  off.  We  have  shown  how  persistently  and 
honorably  the  firemen  endeavored  to  abate  this  nuisance.  They  could  not  wholly  dispense 
with  the  services  of  outsiders,  but  those  whom  they  did  employ  they  took  care  should  be 
of  the  best  quality  obtainable. 

It  was  only  natural  in  the  period  we  have  just  discussed  that  the  department  should 


77 


E.  J.  CABOT.  Manager 


Telephones  3953-3954  Riverside 


COMPLIMENTS  OF 

Uty?  irHttt  Auto.  Glompattu. 

SALES,  STORAGE 
and  REPAIRS 

248  and  250  West  80th  Street  NEW  YORK 

CHARRON  Limited 

PUTEAUX       -        -  FRANCE 

C.  G.  V.  MOTOR  CARS 


49   West   64th  Street 

Corner  of  Broadway  -  NEW  YORK 

78 


complain  of  the  insufficiency  of  water.  That  was  not  a  matter  that  could  be  attended  to 
until  science  had  a  greater  play  than  she  experienced  in  those  days.  Indeed,  up  to  the 
present  there  has  been  a  constant  cry  that  New  York  has  not  all  the  water  she  needs.  In 
the  past,  as  in  the  present,  the  firemen  did  the  very  best  they  could  to  utilize  what  was 
at  their  disposal  for  the  benefit  of  the  city. 

Mayor  Lawrence,  in  September,  1835,  called  the  attention  of  the  Common  Council 
to  the  frequency  of  fires,  and  particularly  the  one  in  Fulton,  Ann  and  Nassau  Streets,  and 
also  the  fire  in  Water  Street  and  Maiden  Lane,  by  which  a  large  amount  of  property 
was  destroyed  and  lives  lost.  He  expressed  the  belief  that  these  were  the  work  of  in- 
cendaries,  and  he  suggested  the  propriety  of  offering  a  reward  for  such  information  as 
should  lead  to  the  detection  and  conviction  of  the  criminals.  The  Council  empowered 
him  to  do  so  in  his  discretion,  and,  accordingly,  a  proclamation  of  five  hundred  dollars 
was  issued. 

Not  more  than  a  fortnight  after  the  issuance  of  this  proclamation  another  large  fire 
broke  out  in  Franklin  and  Chapel  (new  College  Place)  Streets,  bearing  every  mark  of 
being  of  incendiary  origin,  and  another  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  was  offered. 

Then  following  the  terrible  conflagration  of  December  16,  which  destroyed  in  one 
night  twenty  million  dollars'  worth  of  property,  and  dislodged  more  than  six  hundred 
mercantile  firms.  By  that  calamity  the  extensive  resources  and  irrepressible  energies  of 
the  citizens  were  developed,  and  it  forms  a  proud  record  for  the  pages  of  history  that  not 
a  single  mercantile  failure  resulted  therefrom,  and  many  of  the  heavy  sufferers  were 
among  the  most  active  in  aiding  the  widows,  orphans  and  infirm  persons  reduced  to 
poverty  and  dependence. 

The  element  of  rodyism  in  the  fire  department  hitherto  referred  to  as  being  so  pro- 
nounced that  the  citizens  begged  for  the  interference  of  the  authorities,  again  manifested 
itself  at  a  fire  which  occurred  on  the  night  of  January  1,  1836,  when  Alderman  Purdy, 
representing  the  Tenth  Ward,  was  set  upon  and  mercilessly  beaten  by  members  of  Engine 
Company  No.  10,  who  were  also  accused  of  abandoning  their  engine  on  that  occasion. 
For  the  latter  offense,  nine  officers  and  members  were  expelled  from  the  department,  and 
ten  were  suspended  for  not  complying  with  the  requisitions  to  appear  before  a  committee 
of  the  Common  Council  and  testify  in  reference  to  the  assault  on  Alderman  Purdy. 

With  the  opening  of  the  spring  of  1836,  the  number  of  fires  in  the  city  had  increased 
to  an  alarming  extent,  and  a  proportionate  increase  in  the  number  of  firemen  had  become 
necessary.  This  increase  was  not  attainable,  by  reason  of  the  citizens  being  deterred  from 
becoming  firemen  in  consequence  of  the  arduous  and  toilsome  duties  which  the  members 
of  the  fire  department  were  incessantly  called  upon  to  perform.  As  the  increase  was 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  city,  it  became  a  duty  incumbent  on  the  authori- 
ties to  encourage  citizens  to  join  the  fire  department  by  lessening,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
labors  of  the  firemen,  as  well  as  removing  such  impediments  to  their  exertions  as  existed. 

Among  those  impediments,  that  caused  by  young  men — who  appeared  at  fires  in  the 
garb  of  firemen — was  especially  prominent.  The  engineers  had  no  control  over  them, 
and  their  insubordination,  utter  lawlessness,  and  the  confusion  they  created,  proved  a 
continual  source  of  annoyance  and  serious  hindrance  both  to  the  engineers  and  the  regular 
firemen,  a  great  majority  of  whom  would  gladly  dispense  with  their  precarious  assist- 
ance if  by  so  doing  they  could  be  freed  from  all  suspicion  of  participating  in  riots  created 
by  these  boys,  and  which,  instead  of  being  assigned  to  their  true  cause,  were  attributed 
to  the  members  of  the  fire  department. 

To  accomplish  these  two  purposes,  it  was  determined  to  appoint  four  persons  to  each 
fire  engine  and  hose  company,  and  two  persons  to  each  hook  and  ladder  company,  to  take 
care  of  the  apparatus  and  assist  generally,  and  make  it  the  duty  of  all  members  of  the 
department  to  prevent  persons  not  belonging  to  the  department,  especially  boys,  from 
entering  any  house  or  handling  any  apparatus  belonging  to  the  department,  said  appointees 
not  to  be  considered  as  firemen,  and  to  be  paid  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
per  annum. 

The  Third  Ward  Hose  Company,  whose  origin  was  traceable  to  the  conflagration  of 
December,  1835,  tendered  its  services  to  the  corporation  in  March.  1836,  which  were 
accepted,  and  they  were  recognized  as  a  volunteer  fire  company,  attached  to,  but  not  a 
part  of,  the  fire  department. 


70 


It  has  been  our  ambition  to  make  the 


Well 

Perfectly  Simple 
Simple  Perfect 


9  9 


the  best  moderate  priced  car  — 
the  best  in  material,  workmanship 
and  durability.  To  this  we  have 
been  faithful  by  refusing  to  com- 
pete in  price  with  every  experi- 
ment. 

Our  aim  has  been  to  build  the 

Model  D.  A.,  30  H.  P..  $1,750  be8t    then  ^  ^  CQ9t_not  to 

skimp  and  cut  for  the  mere  sake  of  price  sensationalism.  Fifteen  thousand  satisfied  Maxwell  owners  furnish  the 
proof  of  our  success — each  enthusiastic  and  ready  to  "stand  sponsor"  for  the  Maxwell  claims. 

That  though  moderate  in  price  Maxwell  cars  are  made  under  the  same 
rigid  inspection,  of  as  high-grade  material  and  workmanship,  and  are 
as  durable  as  should  be  the  best  high-priced  cars. 

Each  of  the  six  Maxwell  models  represent  the  highest  value  of  its  class.  You  ought  to  know  the  princi- 
ples of  Maxwell  construction.    Let  us  send  you  our  catalog. 

MAXWELL  BRISCOE  MOTOR  COMPANY 

TARRYTOWN,  NEW  YORK 


SALES 

SUPPLIES 


REPAIRS 


Thoroughly 
Fireproof 


APTHORP 

Motor  Car  Co. 


Fully 
Equipped 


garage: 


214-216  West  80th  Street,  New  York  Telephone,  Riverside  9941 

.  8o 


From  the  report  of  the  chief  engineer,  John  Ryker,  Jr.,  it  appears  that  the  condition 
of  the  fire  department  on  October  3,  1836,  was: 

Forty-nine  engine  companies,  six  hook  and  ladder  companies,  nine  hose  companies, 
with  an  active  available  force  of  nine  hundred  and  thirty-seven  men. 

Half  a  century  ago  it  was  an  honor  to  be  an  alderman  or  an  assistant.  They  were 
elected  by  their  fellow  citizens  for  their  integrity  and  ability,  and  as  a  consequence  were 
entrusted  and  invested  with  privileges  and  functions  of  a  magisterial  nature.  Hence  it 
came  about  that,  next  to  the  mayor  of  the  city,  they  were,  perhaps,  among  civic  function- 
aries, the  most  important.  That  was  their  status  as  concerns  fires,  for  to  them  (as  the 
law  prescribed,  the  marshals  and  constables,  repairing  immediately  on  the  alarm  of  fire, 
with  their  staves  of  office,  to  the  scene  of  the  fire,  should  report  and  should  conform  to 
such  orders  as  might  be  given  them  by  the  mayor,  the  alderman  and  assistant  of  the  ward, 
or  by  any  one  of  the  aldermen,  for  the  preservation  of  the  public  peace,  and  the  removal 
of  all  idle  and  suspected  persons  or  others  not  actually  or  usefully  employed  in  aiding  the 


Conflict  between  companies  on  way  to  Fire,  1845 

extinguishment  of  such  fire,  or  in  the  preservation  of  property  in  the  vicinity  thereof; 
and  if  any  marshal  or  constable  should  not  attend  at  such  fire,  or  should  neglect  so  to  re- 
port himself,  or  to  obey  any  orders  that  were  given  him,  he  should,  unless  he  had  a  rea- 
sonable excuse,  to  be  determined  by  the  mayor,  forfeit  and  pay  five  dollars  for  each  offense. 

Two  persons  were  appointed  to  each  fire  engine  and  hose  company  (ordinance  May 
10,  1836),  and  two  persons  to  each  hook  and  ladder  company  within  the  lamp  and 
watch  district,  their  duty  consisting  of  keeping  all  the  apparatus  of  the  companies  in 
complete  order  and  ready  for  immediate  use  :  upon  every  alarm  of  fire  they  repaired 
forthwith  to  the  house  of  the  engine,  hose,  or  hook  and  ladder  company  to  which  they 
were  attached,  and  assisted  the  members  in  conveying  the  engine,  carriage  or  truck  to  the 
fire,  and  there  assisted  the  company  in  getting  the  engine  to  work,  or  the  hose  ready  for 
immediate  action,  under  the  direction  of  the  officers  of  the  company  to  which  they  be- 
longed ;  and  during  the  time  such  engine  or  hose  carriage  was  employed  at  a  fire,  the  two 
persons  named  in  the  ordinance  took  charge  of  the  hose,  and  prevented  any  persons 

81 


NATIONAL  CASH  REGISTERS 

—  BENEFIT  ALL  CLASSES  OF  PEOPLE  

STOREKEEPERS 

Save  all  booking  with  customers. 

Tell  the  total  amounts  of  cash  and  credit  sales  of  each  clerk. 
Enforce  a  proper  record  of  every  amount  paid  on  account. 
Print  picture  on  back,  advertising  the  business. 

CUSTOMERS 

Prevent  overcharge. 

Insure  servants  and  children  purchasing  for  the  right  amount. 
Insure  accuracy  in  the  entering  of  Credit  Sales. 
Guarantee  that  money  paid  on  account  will  be  correctly  credited. 
Give  quick  service. 

CLERKS 

Make  them  accurate. 

Prevent  all  mistakes  with  customers. 

Relieve  them  of  the  mistakes  made  by  others. 

Tell  the  amount  of  sales  made  by  each  clerk. 

CASHIERS 

Save  time  and  labor  of  adding  up  figures, 
Prevent  mistakes  in  giving  change. 
Relieving  of  cashiers  can  be  done  quickly. 
Make  the  work  easier. 
Prevent  disputes  with  customers. 

SERVANTS  AND  CHILDREN 

They  can  prove  that  they  have  purchased  at  the  right  store. 
They  can  prove  that  they  have  purchased  for  the  right  amount. 
Prevent  advantages  being  taken  of  their  youth. 
Remove  temptation  in  keeping  back  change. 
Tell  the  time  servant  or  child  left  the  store, 

We  make  a  register  suited  to  every  business,  no  matter  how  large  or  small  the 

store,  or  what  is  sold 

PRICES  AS  LOW  AS  $15.00 

SMALL  MONTHLY  PAYMENTS 
IF  DESIRED 

THE  NATIONAL  CASH 
REGISTER  COMPANY 

EXECUTIVE  OFFICES; 

28th  St.  and  Broadway,  New  York  City 

82 


from  treading  on,  or  otherwise  injuring  the  same.  They  also  assisted  the  members,  when 
the  engine  or  hose  carriage  was  discharged  from  duty,  after  the  putting  out  of  a  fire, 
in  taking  up  the  hose  and  other  apparatus,  and  assisted  in  conveying  them,  together  with 
the  engine  or  hose  carriage,  etc.,  to  the  house  appropriated  for  it,  and  there  washed  and 
dried  the  hose,  and  cleaned  and  put  in  complete  order  all  the  apparatus,  so  as  to  be  ready 
for  immediate  use,  taking  care,  however,  in  no  case  to  meddle  with  the  works  of  an 
engine. 

Those  persons  similarly  appointed  and  attached  to  a  hook  and  ladder  company,  pre- 
served the  truck  and  apparatus  belonging  to  their  company  from  injury  during  the  fire; 
assisted  the  members  in  raising  or  moving  ladders  and  hooks,  and  rendered  assistance, 
after  the  fire,  in  getting  the  apparatus  to  the  house,  etc. 

"Among  the  novelties  of  New  York,"  it  was  remarked  by  an  observant  writer 
(1837),  "there  is  nothing  perhaps  which  strikes  a  stranger  with  more  surprise  than  the 
frequency  of  fires.  There  is  scarcely  a  day  from  January  to  July,  and  from  July  to  Jan- 
uary, when  there  is  not  an  alarm — a  cry  of  fire — and  a  ringing  of  bells.  But  a  single 
alarm  for  each  day  in  the  year,  would  be  too  low  an  average.  To  say  the  bells  are  rung 
and  the  firemen  called  out  five  hundred  times  in  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days, 
would  not  exceed  the  truth." 

"Strangers  are  very  often  alarmed,"  continues  the  same  writer,  "as  well  as  surprised, 
at  the  frequent  cries  of  fires  in  this  city,  and  fancy  from  the  hideous  outcry  of  the  boys  and 
the  rueful  jangling  of  the  bells,  that  the  fire  is  close  to,  if  not  within  their  very  lodg- 
ings ;  and  that  New  York  is,  every  day,  on  the  verge  of  a  general  conflagration.  To  this 
alarm,  the  bells  very  much,  perhaps  needlessly,  contribute.  As  soon  as  an  alarm  of  fire  is 
given  they  fall  to  ringing  in  all  quarters  with  great  zeal  and  force  ;  and  some  of  them 
continue  their  clamor  for  a  considerable  time  after  the  danger  is  past,  or  after  the 
alarm  is  ascertained  to  be  a  false  one.  The  first  in  the  field,  the  most  vigorous  in  action, 
and  the  last  to  quit,  is  the  bell  of  the  Middle  Dutch  Church.  Who  the  ringer  of  that 
bell  is,  we  do  not  know ;  but  this  we  will  aver,  that  he  labors  with  a  zeal  and  perseverance 
that  are  quite  astounding.  We  fancy  he  now  and  then  gets  up  in  his  sleep  to  exercise 
his  vocation.  At  any  rate,  whether  asleep  or  awake,  he  seems  to  have  a  remarkable  fond- 
ness for  pulling  at  the  end  of  a  rope." 

In  May,  1838,  the  laws  and  ordinances  relating  to  fires  and  the  fire  department  were 
amended  and  modified  so  that  the  department  should  consist  of  a  chief  engineer,  nine  as- 
sistant engineers,  a  water  purveyor,  and  as  many  fire  wardens,  fire  engine  men,  hosemen 
and  hook  and  ladder  men  as  might  from  time  to  time  be  appointed  by  the  Common 
Council.  The  chief  engineer  should  be  nominated  by  the  engineers,  foremen  and  assistant 
foremen ;  and  the  assistant  engineers  by  the  foremen  and  assistant  foremen  of  the  fire 
companies,  respectively,  to  the  Common  Council  for  appointment,  and  should  hold  their 
offices  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Common  Council. 

The  salary  of  the  chief  engineer  was  fixed  at  twelve  hundred  dollars  per  year. 

The  water  purveyor  should  be  appointed  by  and  hold  office  during  the  pleasure  of 
the  Common  Council,  at  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  per  year,  take  charge  of  the 
public  reservoirs  and  establishments  of  water  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires. 

The  engineers,  foremen  and  assistant  foremen  should  meet  on  the  first  Tuesday  in 
June  annually  for  the  purpose  of  nominatinng  a  suitable  person  for  chief  engineer. 

So  many  of  the  freeholders  or  freemen  as  the  Common  Council  deemed  proper 
should  from  time  to  time  be  appointed  in  each  of  the  wards  of  the  city,  denominated  fire 
wardens,  assigned  and  attached  by  the  mayor  to  such  company  of  firemen  as  he  should 
think  proper,  the  fire  wardens  of  each  ward  forming  a  separate  company. 

The  names  and  places  of  abode  of  the  members  of  the  Common  Council,  engineers, 
fire  wardens  and  firemen  of  the  respective  companies,  and  bell  ringers,  were  annually,  in 
the  month  of  June,  printed  and  set  up  in  the  several  watchhouscs  by  the  city  inspector, 
and  whenever  any  fire  happened  in  the  night  the  watch  gave  notice  to  them  within  their 
respective  watch  districts. 

Mayor  Aaron  Clark,  in  his  annual  message,  referring  to  the  fire  department,  said 
that  their  importance  was  universally  admitted.  They  were  to  be  congratulated,  he  said, 
upon  their  efficiency  and  usefulness,  and  the  general  harmony  then  prevailing  among  the 
companies  composing  the  department,  consisting,  as  it  did,  of  a  numerous  body  of  citizens 
engaged  in  various  pursuits  and  businesses,  and  voluntarily  associated  for  the  preserva- 

81 


Compliments  of 

The  Swiss  Lace  Refinishing 

GEORGE  T.  RENKE 


Worlds 


BLEACHERS,  DYERS  AND  REFINISHERS  OF 

LACES,  NETS,  VEILING, 
PIECE  GOODS,  ETC. 


Rare  and  Delicate  Laces,  Nets,  Veiling,  Chiffons,  Lace 
Gowns,  Dresses,  Lace  Bed  Sets,  Lace  Curtains,  Lace  Waists 


1  67th  Street  and  Jerome  Avenue,    -:-    New  York 

-OUR     TELEPHONE     NUMBER     IS     2160     MELROSE  — 

84 


tion  of  property  and  life  from  the  ravages  of  conflagration,  it  had  become  identified  with 
the  safety  and  the  happiness  of  the  citizens.  For  intrepidity,  skill  and  firmness  of  pur- 
pose "in  the  summer's  heat  and  the  winter's  cold,"  their  firemen  were  unsurpassed  by 
those  of  any  country. 

In  July,  1838,  the  insurance  companies  urged  upon  the  authorities  the  passage  of  an 
ordinance  for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  investigate  the  causes  of  fires.  The 
Common  Council  responded  with  a  law  to  appoint  three  persons  at  a  salary  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars  each  per  annum,  who  should  attend  at  all  fires  and  immediately  thereafter 
investigate  the  cause  thereof,  and  file  a  report  of  the  evidence  taken  and  the  result  of 
their  investigation. 

The  ordinance  was  to  go  into  effect  on  the  first  of  August,  1838,  provided  that  the 
sum  of  four  thousand  dollars  had  been  previously  paid  into  the  city  treasury  by  one  or 
more  of  the  insurance  companies  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  incurred  by 
the  commission,  which  latter  should  continue  in  force  so  long  as  one  or  more  of  the 
companies  should,  on  or  before  June  i,  in  each  year,  pay  a  similar  amount. 

The  city,  in  1838,  was  divided  into  five  districts,  which  were  pointed  out  by  the  bell 
as  follows  : 

First  district — one  stroke  of  the  bell. 

Second  district — two  strokes  of  the  bell. 

Third  district — three  strokes  of  the  bell. 

Fourth  district — four  strokes  of  the  bell. 

Fifth  district — a  continual  ringing. 

The  first  district  was  comprehended  by  a  line  from  the  foot  of  Murray  Street  to  the 
City  Hall,  and  in  a  line  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  City  Hall  parallel  with  the 
North  River,  to  Twenty-first  Street. 

The  second  district  was  bounded  by  the  latter  line  and  a  straight  line  from  the  City 
Hall  to  Third  Avenue  at  Twenty-first  Street. 

The  third  district  was  bounded  by  the  latter  and  a  line  from  the  City  Hall  to  the 
East  River  above  the  dry  dock. 

The  fourth  district  was  bounded  by  the  latter,  and  comprehended  all  the  space  be- 
tween that  and  the  East  River,  as  far  down  as  Frankfort  Street. 

The  fifth  district  was  all  that  part  of  the  city  below  Frankfort  and  Murray  Streets. 

The  encouraging  and  well-deserved  compliment  paid  the  fire  department  by  Mayor 
Clark  in  1838  was  echoed  in  1839  by  Mayor  Isaac  L.  Varian,  who  said,  in  addressing  the 
municipal  legislature,  that  it  deserved  their  fostering  care.  During  the  past  year  the 
amount  of  property  destroyed  by  fire  was  small  compared  with  former  years.  The  intro- 
duction of  water  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fires  through  pipes  and  hydrants  had 
afforded  additional  facilities  to  the  firemen,  and  on  the  plan  the  pipes  were  being  laid  a 
farther  extension  of  them  was  deemed  advisable,  and  contracts  were  made  for  the  supply 
of  six  thousand  five  hundred  water  pipes. 

A  proposition  was  submitted  to  the  legislature  in  June,  1840,  without  any  application 
on  the  part  of  the  Common  Council,  in  regard  to  the  fire  department  of  this  city,  which 
was  adopted  by  one  branch  of  that  body,  but  in  the  other  was  not  acted  on  and  did  not 
become  a  law.  This  proposition  was  to  deprive  the  Common  Council  of  all  control  over 
the  department,  and  place  it  in  the  hands  of  persons  who  were  not  in  any  way  responsible 
to  the  public  authorities,  while  it  left  the  whole  expenses  of  the  department  to  be  paid 
from  the  treasury.  Such  a  measure  was  not  acceptable  to  the  Common  Council,  and  in- 
stead of  removing  the  difficulties  which  had  in  former  years  operated  injuriously  against 
the  department,  would  have  added,  the  Council  claimed,  new  ones  of  a  more  serious 
character. 

Since  1836  the  introduction  of  political  feelings  and  views  into  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  Fire  Department  had  materially  affected  its  usefulness,  and  tended  much  to 
produce  the  evils  which  the  law  above  referred  to  was  designed  to  remedy. 

It  was  directed  by  the  Common  Council,  March  ti,  1840,  that  a  cupola  and  alarm 
bell  be  placed  on  Center  Market,  and  that  the  expense  thereof  be  paid  out  of  the  general 
appropriation  for  the  Fire  Department,  and  that  the  superintendent  of  buildings  and  re- 
pairs, under  the  direction  of  the  joint  committee  on  fire  water,  contract  for  the  same. 

Tt  was  decreed  also  that  a  watchman  should,  at  all  times,  be  stationed  at  the  cupola 
of  the  City  Hall,  reservoir,  Center,  Essex  and  Jefferson  Markets,  for  the  purpose  of  giv- 

85 


View  showing  method  of  using  Ladder 


McARTNUR  PORTABLE  FIRE 
ESCAPE  &  JACOB'S  LADDER 

q  Made  entirely  of  metal  and  the 
product  of  best  materials  and 
workmanship.  Positively  safe  and 
will  not  tangle,  swing  or  rust. 

q  SUITABLE  for  Hotels,  Apart- 
ment Houses,  Schools,  Colleges, 
Dormitories  and  all  Buildings.  In- 
dispensable on  Boats. 

q  It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
safety  of  the  Firemen,  and  every 
FIRE  DEPARTMENT  should 
carry  them  on  their  trucks. 

q  W rite  us  your  requirements  and  We 
Will  submit  you  prices. 


McARTHUR  PORTABLE  FIRE  ESCAPE  CO. 

1999  Clark  Avenue,  CLEVELAND,  OHIO 


Compliments  of 


The  Seagrave  Company 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 
STRICTLY  HIGH-GRADE 


Fire  Department 

Apparatus  and  Supplies 


Office  and  Factory, 


COLUMBUS,  OHIO 


86 


HARRY  H.  HOWARD 
Chief  Engineer  New  York  Fire  Department,  1857-1860 


87 


ing  an  alarm  whenever  a  tire  occurred.  The  fire  and  water  committee,  hy  and  with  the 
consent  of  the  mayor,  appointed  a  competent  number  of  persons  to  perform  such  duty 
by  day  and  night,  who  were  severally  removable  by  the  committee.  These  men  were  paid 
for  their  services,  at  the  rate  of  two  dollars  per  day,  on  their  bills  being  certified  by  the 
chairman  of  the  fire  and  water  committee. 

In  the  winter  of  1841  it  was  sought  to  still  further  amend  and  modify  the  laws  re- 
specting the  fire  department.  The  firemen  were  to  be  appointed  by  and  under  the  control, 
supervision,  etc.,  of  five  commissioners,  elected  and  appointed  by  the  representatives  of 
the  New  York  Fire  Department,  holding  office  for  five  years,  at  one  thousand  dollars  each 
per  annum,  to  be  known  as  "The  Commissioners  of  the  Fire  Department  of  the  City  of 
New  York,"  and  no  person  should  be  appointed  as  a  commissioner  who  had  not  served  at 
least  five  years  as  a  fireman.  The  commissioners  should  have  power  to  appoint  a  chief 
engineer  and  seven  assistant  engineers,  subject  to  removal  at  any  time  by  said  commis- 
sioners. They  should  have  power  to  appoint  the  firemen,  and  to  purchase  all  apparatus ; 
to  appoint  on  the  recommendation  of  the  alderman  and  assistant  alderman  of  each  ward, 
five  persons  to  each  ward,  to  be  denominated  "Fire  Policemen;"  to  appoint  two  persons 
as  cleaners ;  and  to  regulate  and  fix  the  salaries  of  chief  and  assistant  engineers,  the  fire 
policemen,  and  the  cleaners. 

The  salary  of  the  chief  engineer,  it  may  be  observed  here,  varied  considerably.  In 
1810  it  was  $800  a  year;  in  1820,  $500;  in  1834.  $1,000;  in  1838,  $1,200;  in  1839,  $500; 
in  1841,  $1,000;  in  1844.  $1,500;  in  1848.  $2,000;  in  1855,  $3,000,  and  from  1857  to  1865, 
$5,000.  Long  before  1841  the  chief  engineer  was  the  appointee  of  the  Common  Council, 
then  he  became  the  annual  choice  of  the  engineers,  foremen  and  assistant  foremen.  In 
1842  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  which  the  chief  engineer  was  nominated  by  the  firemen, 
appointed  by  the  Common  Council,  and  served  until  a  majority  of  the  firemen  desired  a 
new  election.  At  various  times  there  were  heated  arguments  as  to  the  best  method  of  ap- 
pointing or  electing  a  chief  engineer.  The  citizens  showed  their  interest  in  the  depart- 
ment by  joining  these  discussions  through  the  press.  The  opinion  of  the  majority 
prevailed  that  that  important  officer  should  be  the  selection  of  the  whole  department, 
and  so  we  find  that  in  1853  a  law  was  passed  fixing  his  election  by  the  firemen,  who 
balloted  for  him  every  three  years. 

The  regular  firemen  continued  to  be  much  harassed  by  so-called  volunteer  associa- 
tions, their  good  name  tarnished,  and  their  efforts  often  frustrated.  The  Common  Coun- 
cil again  (November  10,  1841)  denounced  these  volunteer  associations  and  the  practice  of 
permitting  them  to  assume  the  garb  of  firemen,  and  to  mingle  in  the  duties  thereof. 
This,  the  ordinance  declared,  was  not  only  to  direct  and  open  violation  of  the  ordinances 
of  the  Common  Council,  but  was  calculated,  in  its  results,  to  demoralize  the  character  of 
youth,  and  bring  reproach  upon  the  department,  by  the  riotous  and  disorderly  conduct  in 
which  these  young  men  were  so  often  engaged.  Hence,  the  officers  and  members  of  each 
company  were  ordered  forthwith  to  disband  all  associations  of  volunteers,  and  upon  no 
occasion  to  suffer  or  permit  them  to  have  access  to  the  public  property ;  and  all  magis- 
trates, watchmen  and  police  officers  were  requested  to  prevent  the  congregating  of  all 
boys  around  or  in  the  vicinity  of  the  engine,  hose,  and  hook  and  ladder  houses,  to  the 
end  that  members  of  the  fire  department  might  be  recognized  as  such,  and  be  held  respon- 
sible for  all  deviation  from  the  path  of  duty,  and  the  requirements  of  the  ordinances  of 
the  Common  Council. 

Fire  companies  were  interdicted  from  removing  their  apparatus  out  of  the  district  in 
which  the  same  was  located,  below  Fourteenth  Street,  in  case  of  fire,  or  an  alarm  of  fire, 
under  the  penalty  of  being  subject  to  expulsion  or  suspension  from  the  fire  department, 
unless  they  should  be  permitted  so  to  do  by  the  chief  or  one  or  both  assistant  engineers. 

The  Common  Council,  on  September  7,  1842,  by  ordinance,  established  the  offices 
of  a  chief  engineer,  a  superintendent  of  the  aqueduct  works,  a  water  purveyor,  and  a  reg- 
ister of  rents,  to  hold  their  respective  offices  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Common  Council, 
unless  sooner  removed  for  cause  by  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board,  with  the  concurrence  of 
the  Joint  Croton  Aqueduct  Committee.  The  chief  engineer,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Croton  Aqueduct  Board,  had  the  general  executive  care  and  superintendence  of  the  Cro- 
ton Aqueduct  Works. 

The  superintendent  and  water  purveyor  had  the  care  of  laying  down  all  the  distrib- 
uting pipes,  hydrants,  and  stop-cocks,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  engineer  and  Cro- 


ton  Aqueduct  Board ;  examined  into,  and  reported  to  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board  all 
applications  for  water,  and  generally  did  all  such  duty  assigned  to  them ;  they  attended  all 
fires,  provided  against  all  unnecessary  waste  of  water,  and  saw  that  all  hydrants  were 
closed  at  the  termination  of  each  conflagration. 

The  salary  of  the  chief  engineer  was  increased  to  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars 
per  annum. 

The  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city  called  for  a  thorough  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  department.  That  worthy  and  patriotic  class  of  citizens  would  no  longer  be 
required  to  perform  the  laborious  duty  of  dragging  their  engines  for  miles  ;  and  the  serv- 
ices of  the  boys  who  congregated  about  the  engine  houses  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  to 
convey  the  engines  to  the  fires  would  no  longer  be  required.  The  period  had  now  arrived 
— the  summer  of  1842 — when  the  city  authorities  could,  with  perfect  ease,  and  with 
proper  regard  for  the  laborious  exertions  of  the  fire  department,  prevent  boys  and  young 
men,  not  members  of  the  department,  interfering  in  any  manner,  with,  or  performing  the 
duties  of  firemen.  When  these  excrescences  should  be  lopped  off  from  the  department, 
the  high  character  and  worth  of  the  members  proper  would  be  at  once  appreciated,  and 
the  people  would  bear  witness  to  their  services  and  usefulness. 

Serious  and  disgraceful  fights  and  riots  had  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1843  between 
different  fire  companies,  principally  originating  with  low  and  violent  characters  whose  re- 
spective companies  had  been  disbanded  and  broken  up  by  the  corporation,  and  who  at- 
tached themselves  to  others  on  occasions  of  fires,  to  create  fights  and  disorder,  thus 
degrading  the  character  and  impairing  the  usefulness  and  discipline  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment. In  order  to  prevent  the  repetition  of  such  outrages,  and  effectually  protect  the 
respectable  and  well-disposed,  the  chief  engineer,  C.  V.  Anderson,  solicited  the  Common 
Council  for  the  establishment  of  a  fire  police,  consisting  of  not  less  than  twenty  men, 
who  should  assemble  at  each  fire  to  protect  property  and  to  suppress  tumult. 

The  Common  Council  had  no  power  to  create  such  a  body,  and,  therefore,  a  memorial 
to  the  legislature  was  prepared  for  authority  to  do  so. 

The  condition  of  the  fire  department  in  August,  1843,  was  :  thirty-seven  engines  in 
good  order,  two  in  indifferent  order,  and  two  rebuilding ;  thirty-eight  hose  carriages  in 
good  order,  and  one  rebuilding ;  eight  hook  and  ladder  trucks,  with  forty-seven  ladders 
and  fifty-one  hooks,  and  forty-eight  thousand  nine  hundred  feet  of  hose.  There  were 
then  in  the  department  thirty-nine  engine  companies,  forty  hose  companies,  eight  hook 
and  ladder  companies,  and  three  hydrant  companies,  and  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
sixty-one  men. 

In  March,  1843,  m  consequence  of  certain  serious  disturbances  in  the  department, 
the  disbandment  of  certain  companies,  and  among  others  of  Engine  Company  No.  34, 
was  recommended.  The  evidence  concerning  the  fights  between  Engine  Companies  No. 
34  and  27  substantiated  the  allegations  of  frequent  and  violent  attacks,  while  not  a  soli- 
tary complaint  had  been  made  to  the  competent  authorities,  both  companies  having  "pre- 
ferred to  fight  it  out  to  calling  on  the  Common  Council  for  protection."  Engine  Com- 
pany No.  34  was  disbanded,  their  apparatus  returned  to  the  public  yards,  and  their  house 
given  to  Hose  Company  No.  40.    In  May  of  that  year  No.  34  was  reinstated. 

In  August,  1844,  there  were  in  the  department  thirty-nine  engines  in  good  order,  and 
one  in  indifferent  order ;  thirty-eight  hose  carriages  in  good  order,  one  indifferent,  and 
two  building;  eight  hook  and  ladder  trucks,  with  forty-six  ladders  and  forty-nine  hooks  ; 
thirty-one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  good  hose,  and  six  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  of  hose  in  ordinary,  making  in  the  whole  thirty-eight  thousand  one 
hundred  feet  of  hose;  forty-one  engine  companies  (one  of  which  performed  duty  with  a 
hose  carriage),  forty-one  hose  companies,  eight  hook  and  ladder  companies,  and  one  hy- 
drant company ;  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty-one  men. 

In  May,  1845,  there  were  thirty-nine  engines,,  thirty-eight  hose  companies,  seven 
hook  and  ladder  companies,  and  two  hydrant  companies.  Thirty-three  of  the  engines 
were  located  below  Twenty-eighth  Street,  and  of  those  thirty  were  six  and  one-half 
cylinder  engines,  one  ten  inch,  and  two  nine  inch  cylinder  engines. 

The  introduction  of  the  Croton  water,  while  it  had  added  vastly  to  the  ability  of  the 
department  to  answer  the  ends  of  its  organization,  had  likewise  suggested  various  im- 
provements. Hose  carts  had  been  multiplied,  and  had  proved  to  be  in  many  cases  ad- 
vantageous substitutes  for  the  fire  engine.    From  the  lightness  of  their  construction,  thev 

89 


C.  H.  TANGEMAN,  President 


HARRY  FOSDICK,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer 


™  HOL-T  AN 


CO. 


1741   BROADWAY  (NEAR  56th  STREET) 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


BOSTON  BRANCH: 
66  HEREFORD  STREET 


LANCIA  CARS 


A.  G.  SOUTHWORTH,  Manager 


TELEPHONE  4040  COLUMBUS 


BUICK  MOTOR  COMPANY 


NEW  YORK  BRANCH:  1733-7  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK 

9o 


could  be  run  with  much  greater  facility  to  points  where  they  were  suddenly  required,  and 
being  able  from  the  hydrants  to  throw  water  to  the  elevation  of  ordinary  buildings,  they 
were  found  to  equal  in  efficiency  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires  the  class  of  engines 
principally  used  before  the  introduction  of  the  water,  and  then  constituting  in  numbers 
the  bulk  of  the  engine  force. 

During  the  year  ending  August  r,  1845,  there  were  three  hundred  and  fifty  alarms  of 
fire,  two  hundred  and  sixty  of  which  called  for  the  employment  of  the  department  and  its 
apparatus,  and  ninety  arose  from  trivial  causes.  The  amount  of  property  destroyed  dur- 
ing the  same  period  (excluding  the  fire,  on  July  19,  in  New  and  Broad  Streets)  was  four 
hundred  and  seventy-four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty  dollars.  In  the  month  of 
May  and  June,  alone,  there  were  sixty-seven  actual  fires. 

About  1852  the  Common  Council  adopted  an  ordinance  dividing  the  city  into  three 
fire  districts,  and  confining  the  apparatus  and  labors  of  the  firemen  to  the  district  in 
which  their  apparatus  were  located.  The  object  of  the  ordinance  was  to  lessen  the  duties 
of  the  firemen,  and  to  prevent  the  great  destruction  of  the  apparatus  which  was  caused 
by  their  being  uselessly  dragged  over  the  city  at  every  alarm  of  fire.  In  consequence, 
however,  of  the  imperfect  alarms  of  fire,  it  was  considered  unsafe  to  enforce  strictly  the 
ordinance. 

It  was  generally  conceded  that  ten  thousand  dollars  per  annum  was  a  low  estimate 
of  the  expense  of  repairs  to  the  fire  apparatus. 

During  the  year  ending  August  1,  1846,  there  had  been  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
fires  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  false  alarms  of  fire.  Many  of  the  fires  had  no  doubt 
been  extinguished  before  the  alarm  had  reached  the  nearest  bell  station,  yet,  in  conse- 
quence of  there  being  no  means  afforded  of  notifying  the  bell-ringers  of  the  extinguish- 
ment of  the  fire,  or  that  the  alarm  was  a  false  one,  the  bells  were  rung,  and  the  firemen 
called  unnecessarily  from  their  business  or  their  rest,  thereby  causing  a  loss  of  time  and 
money  to  them  and  the  apparatus  dragged  for  miles  over  the  city,  creating  a  useless  ex- 
pense to  the  city.  The  Common  Council,  in  November,  1846,  in  view  of  these  facts 
authorized  the  introduction  of  Morse's  magnetic  telegraph  into  the  department. 

Action  was  also  taken  in  the  matter  at  a  meeting  of  the  engineers  and  foremen  held 
December  I,  1846,  at  which  Mr.  James  L.  Miller,  of  the  engineers,  offered  the  following: 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  from  this  body  to  urge  upon  the 
members  of  the  Common  Council  the  propriety  of  adopting  the  plan  recommended  by  the 
chief  engineer,  in  relation  to  the  magnetic  telegraph  for  the  use  of  the  fire  department. 

The  number  of  fires  was  increasing  every  succeeding  year,  and  occurring,  as  many 
of  them  did,  under  very  suspicious  circumstances,  it  appeared  necessary  that  their  origin 
should  be  investigated.  During  the  night  of  the  second  of  May,  1846,  within  about  six 
hours,  ten  fires  occurred,  all  of  which,  except  one  (the  Trite  Sun  building)  commenced 
in  stables,  and  were  no  doubt  the  work  of  design.  Nothing  but  the  extraordinary  exer- 
tions of  the  firemen  prevented  several  serious  conflagrations. 

Successive  acts  of  the  legislature  had  reduced  the  term  of  service  of  firemen,  until, 
on  November  16,  1847,  a  law  went  into  effect  making  the  period  of  servitude  five  years. 

The  various  engine,  hose,  and  hook  and  ladder  companies  were  granted  the  use  of 
the  Croton  water,  on  paying  the  expenses  of  the  introduction. 

Permission  was  granted  (December  2,  1847)  to  Hugh  Downing  and  Royal  E.  House 
to  construct  a  line  of  telegraph,  by  setting  posts  in  the  ground,  and  extending  from  Fort 
Washington  to  the  Bloomingdale  Road,  thence  along  said  road  to  Sixth  Avenue  to 
the  fire  station  at  Jefferson  Market,  thence  to  the  fire  stations  at  Centre  and  Essex 
Markets,  thence  to  the  City  Hall,  to  the  Merchants  Exchange.  This  permission  was 
coupled  with  a  provisio  that  Downing  and  House  should  put  up  tbe  necessary  wire  and 
apparatus,  and  keep  the  same  in  order,  and  give  free  and  perpetual  use  of  the  invention 
for  communicating  alarms  of  fires  from  the  City  Hall  to  the  different  fire  stations,  and 
instruct  the  different  bell-ringers  in  the  use  of  said  invention,  and  commence  and  continue 
the  communication  themselves,  until  the  bell-ringers  were  instructed,  in  consideration  of 
which  they  received  from  the  city  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars. 

A  water  tower  was  erected  in  this  year  on  the  rear  (if  lots  on  the  north  side  of 
Twenty-second  Street,  between  First  and  Second  Avenues,  and  a  bell  weighing  eight 
thousand  pounds  placed  therein. 

A  most  appalling  disaster  occurred  on  the  morning  of  February  4,  1850.    A  steam 


91 


boiler  exploded  in  a  large  building,  5  and  7  I  [ague  Street,  completely  demolishing  it,  and 
burying  beneath  its  ruins  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons,  of  whom  sixty-four  were 
killed  and  forty-eight  wounded.  The  fire  department  rendered  invaluable  service  in  res- 
cuing the  imperilled  people  and  in  saving  adjoining  property  from  destruction  by  the  fire 
which  ensued,  for  which  service  they  were  the  recipients  of  the  sincere  thanks  of  the 
Common  Council.    Details  of  this  awful  calamity  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

The  whole  number  of  complaints  of  violations  of  the  laws  made  to  the  board  during 
the  year  ending  April  1,  185 1,  amounted  to  six  hundred  and  fifty-one.  The  number  of  old 
and  dangerous  buildings  examined  and  reported  to  the  chief  engineer  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment as  being  exceedingly  dangerous  in  case  a  fire  should  occur  in  either  of  them,  forty- 
four.  The  quantity  of  gunpowder  seized  and  delivered  to  the  trustees  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment was  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  kegs  and  twenty  cases,  containing  fifty  canisters 
each. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  January,  1851,  a  resolution  was  approved  by  the  mayor,  di- 
recting the  commissioner  of  repairs  and  supplies  to  contract  with  Richard  H.  Bull  for  the 
immediate  completion  of  the  telegraph  wire  and  apparatus  to  all  the  fire  alarm  stations 
in  the  city,  and  the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars  was  appropriated  to  pay  for  the  same. 

By  the  act  of  July  11,  185 1,  the  heads  of  departments,  except  the  Croton  Aqueduct 
Board,  were  elected  every  three  years.  The  heads  of  departments  nominated,  and  by 
and  with  the  consent  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  appointed  the  heads  of  bureaus  in  their 
several  departments,  except  the  chamberlain,  the  receiver  of  taxes,  and  the  chief  engineer 
of  the  fire  department.  The  chief  of  the  fire  department  "shall  be  elected  in  the  same 
manner  as  is  now  or  may  hereafter  be  prescribed  by  law." 

The  strength  of  the  department  on  August  1.  185 1 ,  was  twenty-six  engines  in  good 
order,  three  ordinary,  four  building,  and  one  rebuilding ;  forty-one  hose  carriages  in  good 
order,  two  ordinary,  and  six  building;  six  hook  and  ladder  trucks  in  good  order,  and  two 
ordinary  ;  forty  ladders,  and  eighty-five  hooks  ;  forty-three  thousand  three  hundred  feet  of 
hose  in  good  order,  fifteen  thousand  two  hundred  feet  ordinary ;  thirty-four  engine  com- 
panies, forty-nine  hose  companies,  eight  hook  and  ladder  companies,  and  three  hydrant 
companies.  There  were  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  eleven  men  in  the  department ; 
if  the  companies  were  full  there  would  have  been  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  men. 

During  the  year  ending  August  1.  1851,  there  had  been  three  hundred  and  nineteen 
fires,  by  which  the  loss  on  buildings  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  thousand  four 
hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars,  and  on  wares  five  hundred  and  forty-eight  thousand  and 
twenty-three  dollars,  making  the  loss  by  fire  seven  hundred  and  seven  thousand  four 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  dollars.  There  had  been  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  alarms. 
These  facts  show  an  increase  of  thirty  fires  and  forty-six  alarms  over  the  preceding  year, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  a  decrease  of  five  hundred  and  eighty-seven  thousand  six  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars  in  the  destruction  of  property. 

The  fire  companies  in  the  northern  section  of  the  city  had  long  suffered  great  incon- 
venience for  the  want  of  a  proper  alarm.  For  their  relief  an  iron  tower  was  built  on 
Thirty-third  Street.  A  lot  was  procured  for  the  erection  of  an  iron  tower  in  Spring 
Street,  near  Varick,  which  was  not  needed.  The  tower  on  Centre  Street  was  much  dilap- 
idated and  insecure,  with  a  bell  weighing  only  four  thousand  pounds.  During  a  high 
wind,  or  an  alarm,  the  tower  would  vibrate  in  a  very  noticeable  manner.  Its  demolition 
was  recommended,  and  a  new  tower  to  be  put  up  on  the  lot  where  Engine  No.  9  was  lo- 
cated on  Marion  Street.  The  Jefferson  Market  bell  tower  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  July,  and  an  iron  tower  was  erected  in  its  stead. 

The  connection  of  the  bell  towers  with  Fire  Headquarters  by  telegraph  was  com- 
pleted in  the  summer  of  185 1.  Instantly  the  effectiveness  of  the  connections  was  recog- 
nized, as  the  firemen  were  saved  much  unnecessary  labor  bv  the  prevention  of  the 
numerous  false  alarms  which  had  heretofore  misled  them. 

The  report  of  Chief  Engineer  Alfred  Carson  in  this  connection  is  worth  recording. 

"The  entire  (telegraphic)  apparatus."  says  Mr.  Carson,  "is  necessarily  of  very  deli- 
cate construction,  and  must  be  used  with  great  care  by  the  bellringers.  or  it  at  once  be- 
comes utterly  inoperative.  And  it  grieves  me  to  inform  you  (the  Common  Council)  that 
the  telegraphic  apparatus  is  often  seriously  injured,  either  by  the  bellringers  themselves, 
or  by  some  of  their  numerous  friends  who  unceasingly  visit  them,  who  often  use  it  without 

92 


occasion,  simply  to  gratify  their  curiosity,  thereby  misleading  and  creating  general  con- 
fusion at  the  bell  towers  throughout  the  city  and,  of  course,  throughout  the  department." 

Jn  December,  1853,  the  sum  of  twenty-four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eleven  dol- 
lars was  appropriated  for  a  new  building  for  the  use.  of  the  fire  department,  to  be  called 
"Firemen's  Hall,"  located  in  Mercer  Street,  between  Prince  and  Houston  Streets. 

The  following  table  shows  the  population  of  New  York  City  for  a  number  of  years : 


Year. 

Population. 

Year. 

Population. 

Year. 

Population 

1674, 

3,000 

1746, 

11,717 

1820, 

123,706 

1678, 

3-430 

1756, 

13,040 

1825, 

166,000 

4,436 

177^ 

21,863 

1830. 

203,007 

1712, 

5,840 

1786, 

23,614 

1834, 

270,089 

i723, 

7,243 

1790, 

33,131 

1840, 

312,710 

i73i, 

8,622 

1800, 

60,489 

1845, 

37i>223 

1737. 

10,664 

1810, 

95,5*9 

1850, 

515,394 

In  1854  the  fire  department  of  New  York  was  composed  of  nearly  four  thousand  citi- 
zens, who  devoted  their  time  and  exertions  to  the  public  service  without  any  reward  ex- 
cept the  satisfaction  derived  from  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  duty  as  citizens.  It  was 
conceded  that  that  branch  of  the  civil  service  possessed  the  capacity  for  government  in 
itself  at  least  equal  to  that  of  the  citizen  soldiery  who  were  left  in  the  free  and  full  man- 
agement and  control  of  their  own  internal  affairs.  Besides  it  was  seen  that  the  system  of 
administering  the  affairs  of  the  fire  department  through  the  Common  Council  was  bur- 
densome to  the  latter  body,  interfering  with  its  more  legitimate  business,  and  had  oper- 
ated in  experience  unfairly  and  injuriously  to  the  department,  greatly  impairing  its  effi- 
ciency. An  ordinance  was  therefore  introduced  creating  a  "board  of  fire  department 
commissioners,"  composed  of  three  persons  from  each  of  the  eight  sections  of  the  fire 
districts,  and  three  from  that  portion  of  the  city  known  as  the  Twelfth  Ward,  two  from 
each  district  being  exempt  firemen,  and  the  third  one  of  the  active  firemen  of  the  city. 
The  chief  engineer  should  be  an  cx-officio  member  of  the  board  and  all  its  committees. 

The  venerable  Peter  Cooper  gave  some  attention  to  the  prevention  and  extinguish- 
ment of  fires,  and  communicated  with  the  Common  Council  in  that  respect,  February, 
1854.  The  plan  and  principle  which  he  advocated  were  designed  to  make  the  perform- 
ance of  fire  duty  a  dollar-and-cent  interest  to  some  three-quarters  of  all  the  officers  in  the 
employ  of  the  city  government.  He  recommended  the  placing  a  boiler-iron  tank,  thirty 
feet  in  height,  on  the  top  of  the  existing  reservoir  on  Murray  Hill.  That  tank  was  to  be 
filled,  and  kept  full  of  water,  by  a  small  steam  engine.  Further,  he  proposed  that  the 
City  Hall  should  be  raised  an  additional  story  and  covered  with  an  iron  tank  that  would 
hold  some  ten  feet  of  water,  the  outside  of  the  tank  to  be  made  to  represent  a  cornice 
around  the  building.  With  that  greater  head  and  supply  of  water  always  at  command 
and  ready  for  connection  with  the  street  mains,  the  moment  a  signal  was  given  from  any 
police  station  it  was  apparent  that  all  the  hydrants  could  be  made  efficient  to  raise  water 
over  the  tops  of  the  highest  houses  in  the  city.  Also,  he  would  cause  to  be  placed  in 
every  street,  at  convenient  distances,  a  small  cart  containing  some,  three  hundred  feet  of 
hose.  These  carts  should  be  so  light  that  one  man  could  draw  them  to  the  nearest  hy- 
drant to  the  fire,  and  bring  water  on  the  fire  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  With  that 
arrangement  he  proposed  to  make  it  the  interest  of  every  man  in  the  police  to  watch 
incendaries  and  thieves,  and  to  use  every  possible  effort  to  extinguish  fires  as  soon  as 
they  had  occurred. 

Mr.  Cooper  had  presented  a  similar  programme  twelve  years  previously. 

Tn  the  spring  of  1854  there  were  but  one  first-class  engine  in  the  department,  No.  38, 
nine  and  one-half  inch  cylinder :  four  second-class,  Nos.  14,  21.  22,  and  42;  and  three 
third-class,  Nos.  5.  13.  and  20.  Nos.  14,  21.  and  42  were  eight  and  one-half  inch 
cylinder;  No.  22,  eight  inch;  Nos.  13,  7,  5,  and  20.  each  six  and  one-half  inches.  The 
complement  of  men  allowed  to  each  company  was  as  follows : 

Engine  No.  38  (first-class  Philadelphia  style),  nine  and  one-half  inch  cylinder,  sixty 
men;  No.  22  (second-class  piano),  eight  inch  cylinder,  fifty  men;  No.  42  (second-class 
piano),  eight  and  one-half  inch  cylinder,  fifty  men:  No.  T4  (second-class  Philadelphia), 
eight  and  one-half  inch  cylinder,  seventy  men;  No.  21  (second-class  Philadelphia),  eight 
and  one-half  inch  cylinder,  seventy  men:  No.  5  (third-class  New  York  style),  six  and 
one-half  inch  cylinder,  forty  men;  No.  13  (third-class  New  York  improved),  seven-inch 


93 


3  □  □'  !  I  □  □  C 


Compliments  of 


A.  A.  Vantine  &  Co. 


mm 


mm 


94 


cylinder,  forty  men;  No.  20  (third-class  New  York  improved),  six  and  one-half  cylin- 
der, forty  men. 

The  chief  engineer  was  elected,  every  three  years,  by  the  members  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment^  by  ballot.  The  election  for  this  office  took  place  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first 
Monday  in  February,  1854,  and  thereafter  every  succeeding  three  years. 

The  chief  engineer  was  ordered  not  to  receive  any  annual  returns  from  companies 
but  such  as  had  conformed  to  section  first  of  the  ordinance,  passed  June  22,  1842,  relative 
to  the  fire  department,  as  follows :  "The  fire  department  of  the  city  of  New  York  shall 
consist  of  a  chief  engineer,  assistant  engineers,  fire-enginemen,  hose  men,  hook  and  lad- 
der and  hydrant  men,  who  shall  be  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  upwards. 

The  Common  Council  instructed  the  mayor  to  appoint  three  persons  to  act  as  bell- 
ringers  at  each  of  the  different  alarm  districts,  such  persons  to  be  selected  from  among 
the  exempt  firemen.    The  bellringers,  so  appointed,  received  as  remuneration  for  their 


BURNING  OF  CRYSTAL  PALACE,  RESERVOIR  SQUARE,  6th  AVENUE, 
40th  to  42d  STREETS,  OCTOBER  5,  1858 


services  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  each  per  annum,  and  were  subject  to  removal 
by  the  mayor  for  misdemeanor  or  negligence  of  duty. 

As  foreshadowed  by  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  their  attempt  to  dismiss 
Carson,  chief  engineer,  from  office,  notwithstanding  that  numerous  petitions  from  fire 
companies  had  requested  such  action,  seemingly  justifying  it,  there  was  yet  a  dormant 
feeling  of  dissatisfatcion  which  manifested  itself  only  after  the  inauguration  of  the  new 
Council  in  1854.  In  February  of  that  year  a  committee  of  representatives  of  the  fire  de- 
partment, Carlisle  Norwood,  D.  Milliken  and  Henry  W.  Belcher,  presented  a  petition  to 
the  new  board,  setting  forth  that  during  the  preceding  three  or  four  years  serious  and 
gross  abuses  had  crept  into  the  department,  by  which  not  only  its  morals  had  been  im- 
paired, but  its  efficiency  and  discipline  had  been  destroyed.  The  great  majority  of  the 
firemen  were  of  every  vocation,  the  merchant,  mechanic,  artisan,  from  the  professional 
and  laboring  classes ;  and  that  majority  in  point  of  character  and   respectability  would 


CHIEF  CROKER 
USES  A  JONES 
SPEEDOMETER 

The  Jones  is  the  Standard  Speed-Indicator 
of  the  World,  and  the  favorite  of  every 
motorist  who  likes  to  know  to  a  fraction  of 
a  mile  his  exact  speed  in  miles  per  hour. 
The  1910  line  comprises  instruments  rang- 
ing in  price  from  $25  to  $85,  thus  enabling 
the  motorist  to  select  the  speedometer  he 
desires  at  a  cost  commensurate  with  the 
price  of  his  car. 

The  Jones  Speedometer  Dept. 

United  Manufacturers 

76th  St.  &  Broadway,  NEW  YORK 


THE 


BROWN-DEWEY  CO. 


Manufacturers,  Importers 
and  Jobbers  of 

Automobile  and 
Motor  Boat 
Supplies 


1697  BROADWAY  (53rd  Street) 

NEW  YORK 


TELEPHONES  : 
5949-5950  COLUMBUS 


The  Bilbro  Auto  Co. 

F.  L.  HAYES,  Supt. 

Best  Garage  Service 
in  New  Yor\ 

 ALSO  

General  Repairs  &  Painting 
Done  at  Reasonable  Rates 

235-237  WEST  50th  ST.,  at  Broadway 

'Phone,  Columbus  5949 

1873-75  BROADWAY,  Cor.  62d  Street 

Formerly  the  Pyramid       'Phone,  Columbus  4104 

NEW  YORK 


96 


challenge  comparison  with  any  other  institution  in  the  country.  Their  aim  was  to  dis- 
charge the  self-imposed  duty  with  fidelity,  and  to  elevate  the  character  of  their  body  ;  but 
to  accomplish  that  they  should  be  sustained  by  the  authorities.  That  support  had  not  been 
accorded  for  the  preceding  few  years ;  for  owing  to  a  personal  difficulty  between  the  head 
of  the  department  and  the  municipal  government,  the  latter  had  by  every  means  in  their 
power  set  at  defiance  the  authority  of  the  former,  disregarded  his  recommendations,  and 
thus  given  every  encouragement  to  the  riotous  and  disorderly  to  carry  out  their  infamous 
and  wicked  desigins  without  restraint.  The  result  was  that  the  department,  which  should 
have  been  the  pride  and  boast  of  the  city,  had  become  a  by-word  and  reproach ;  charges 
of  a  heinous  nature  were  freely  made  against  some  of  its  members  through  the  public 
prints,  which  want  of  power  on  the  part  of  the  department  prevented  them  from  inves- 
tigating. 

In  connection  with  this  matter  a  special  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  the  fire 
department  was  held  in  Firemen's  Hall  on  February  13,  1854,  at  which  resolutions  were 
adopted,  stating-  that  among  the  causes  which  had  mainly  brought  about  the  deplorable 
condition  of  the  department  had  been  prominently  the  flagrant  conduct  of  the  city  govern- 
ment, which,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  preserve  the  discipline  and  character  of  the  depart- 
ment, had  done  all  in  their  power  to  destroy  them  by  the  indiscriminate  creation  of  fire- 
men, the  restoration  to  membership  of  men  expelled  for  bad  conduct,  the  encouragement 
and  license  given  to  the  riotous  and  disorderly  by  their  neglect  to  punish  them  when 
brought  before  them ;  in  a  word,  by  the  wholesale  abuse  of  their  authority  to  gratify  per- 
sonal ends  and  political  purposes. 

On  the  fourth  of  May,  1854,  it  was  stated  in  a  daily  newspaper  in  regard  to  the 
Broadway  catastrophe,  that  the  chief  engineer  testified  that  within  his  knowledge  a  gang 
of  men,  wearing  the  garb  of  firemen,  attended  fires  for  the  purpose  of  stealing;  that  he 
had  known  members  of  the  fire  department  to  be  caught  thieving ;  and  in  one  case  of  a 
member  expelled  for  stealing  at  a  fire  the  Common  Council  had  reinstated  him  ;  that  a 
member,  then  foreman  of  an  engine  company,  had  been  thus  expelled  and  reinstated ;  that 
sometimes  persons  had  attended  fires  dressed  as  firemen,  though  not  members  of  the 
department ;  and  that,  in  his  judgment,  more  than  one-half  the  fires  that  had  occurred 
were  the  work  of  incendiaries. 

The  Common  Council  requested  the  chief  engineer  to  inform  them  whether  he  had 
been  correctly  reported.  He  replied,  on  May  15,  1854,  that  if  the  evidence  had  been  fully 
and  correctly  reported  their  inquiry  would  have  been  unnecessary.  His  reference  to  the 
reinstatement  of  persons  expelled  for  theft  applied  to  the  Common  Council  of  1853  and 
not  to  that  of  1854.  Attempts  had  been  made  to  establish  the  fact  that  some  of  the  per- 
sons killed  were  in  the  building  for  the  purpose  of  stealing  instead  of  extinguishing  the 
fire,  and  that  clothing  recognized  by  the  proprietors  of  the  store  as  belonging  to  their 
stock  was  found  upon  some  of  the  bodies.  That  was  published  far  and  wide,  and  made 
the  occasion  of  severe  comments  on  the  fire  department.  The  evidence  adduced,  however, 
showed  that  no  clothing  whatever  from  the  establishment  was  found  upon  any  of  the 
bodies,  except  such  as  was  placed  under  and  upon  them  by  their  comrades  after  rescu- 
ing them  from  the  ruins,  in  order  that  they  might  be  carried  to  the  hospital  as  comfort- 
ably as  possible. 

The  following  complement  of  men  was  allowed  the  different  engine,  hose,  and  hook 
and  ladder  companies,  viz. :  First-class  engines,  sixty  men ;  second-class  engines,  fifty 
men  ;  third-class  engines,  forty  men  ;  hose  companies,  twenty-five  men ;  hook  and  ladder 
companies,  forty  men.    Hydrant  companies  to  remain  the  same  as  previously. 

The  strength  of  the  department  in  September,  1854,  consisted  of  thirty-three  engines 
in  good  order,  seven  ordinary,  and  eight  building;  forty-three  hose  carriages  in  good  or- 
der, seven  ordinary,  and  six  building;  nine  hook  and  ladder  trucks  in  good  order,  two 
ordinary,  and  one  building.  The  trucks  were  supplied  with  all  necessary  implements. 
There  were  in  use  forty  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  good  hose,  and  fifteen 
thousand  eight  hundred  feet  ordinary ;  forty-eight  engine  companies,  fiftv-seven  hose 
companies,  fourteen  hook  and  ladder  companies,  and  four  hydrant  companies ;  two  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  fifty-five  men.  If  all  the  companies  were  full,  there  would  have 
been  four  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty  men. 

During  the  year  ending  September,  1854,  there  had  been  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  fires,  with  a  loss  on  buildings  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven  thousand  and 


97 


CLEMENT-BAYARD 
APPERSON 


Telephone  7200 
Columbus 


Compliments  of 


Sidney  B.  Bowman  Automobile  Co. 

225-231  West  Forty-ninth  Street 
NEW  YORK 

•REPAIRS,    STORAGE!    AND  SUPPLIES- 


^7 


for  fire:  departments 


The  Quality  that  meets 
the  test  when  Life  and 
Property  Depend  on  You 


The  Diamond  Rubber  Co. 


OF  

NEW  YORK 


No.    1876  BROADWAY- 


INGLIS  M.  UPPERCU,  President  Telephone  5009-5010  Columbus 

Detroit  Cadillac  Motor 
Car  Company 


Columbus  Circle  :  New  York  City 

98 


twelve  dollars,  and  on  wares  two  million  and  seventy-three  thousand  two  hundred  and 
seventy-two  dollars.  There  had  been  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  additional  alarms, 
mostly  caused  by  burning  chimneys,  spirit-gas  explosions,  etc.,  while  for  the  residue  no 
real  cause  could  be  ascertained.  The  loss  was  large  compared  with  former  years.  Doubt- 
less one-half  the  fires  were  the  result  of  incendiarism,  and  one-quarter  of  carelessness. 

Captain  Ditchett,  of  the  Fourth  Ward  police,  proposed  for  the  better  prevention  of 
personal  injury  and  loss  of  life,  and  of  interference  with  the  firemen  while  on  duty,  that 
policemen  be  stationed  with  flags  by  day  and  lighted  signals  at  night  at  proper  distances 
on  the  streets  leading  to  fires,  and  all  persons  passing,  or  who  persisted  in  remaining 
within,  the  lines,  should  be  arrested,  unless  they  had  business  there.  To  adopt  that  plan 
it  would  be  necessary  to  procure  a  badge  for  the  department,  to  be  worn  by  members 
when  not  in  fire  dress ;  and  a  law  should  be  passed  making  it  a  penal  offense  for  any  per- 
son to  wear  the  badge,  or  other  insignia  of  the  department,  except  firemen,  which  would 
act  as  a  salutary  check  on  rowdies  and  thieves  prowling  about  fires,  and  enable  the  fire- 
men to  discharge  their  duties  more  effectively. 

The  State  Legislature  enacted  a  law,  March  29,  1855,  by  which  five  commissioners 
were  elected  by  the  fire  department,  and  to  be  known  as  "The  Commissioners  of  the  New 
York  Fire  Department."  The  commissioners  so  elected  drew  for  the  term  of  their  re- 
spective offices,  say,  one  for  the  term  of  five  years ;  one  for  the  term  of  three  years ;  one 
for  the  term  of  two  years  ;  and  one  for  the  term  of  one  year ;  "and,  annually  thereafter, 
there  shall  be  elected  one  commissioner  to  hold  his  office  for  the  term  of  five  years." 

No  person  was  eligible  as  such  commissioner  unless,  at  the  time  of  election,  he  was 
an  exempt  fireman,  and  had  ceased  to  be  a  member  of  the  fire  department,  for  at  least 
three  years  prior  to  said  election.  Their  duty  consisted  in  inquiring  into  all  applications 
for  the  organization  of  volunteer  fire  companies  ;  no  volunteer  fire  companies  could  be 
organized  unless  approved  by  said  commissioners  ;  unless — in  case  of  disagreement  by 
the  commissioners — a  three-fourths  vote  of  all  members  should  overrule  the  decision  of 
the  commissioners. 

The  corporation  of  the  fire  department,  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  April  3,  1855, 
were  permitted  to  hold  real  and  personal  estate,  but  not  to  exceed  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Members  of  the  fire  department  (ordinance  June  14,  1855),  were  required,  when  on 
duty  as  firemen,  to  wear  the  leathern  cap,  as  previously  in  use,  or  a  badge.  The  badge 
was  made  of  Prince's  metal,  bearing  the  words,  "New  York  Fire  Department,"  each 
badge  bearing  a  distinct  number,  in  raised  figures  thereon,  of  white  metal.  The  badge 
worn  by  exempt  firemen  was  composed  of  white  metal,  with  the  figures  thereon  of 
Prince's  metal,  but  in  all  other  respects  similar  to  the  badge  used  by  the  active  members 
of  the  department.  Said  badges  were  struck  from  separate  dies  and  numbered  as  the 
commissioners  of  the  fire  department  might  direct. 

This  ordinance  made  it  the  duty  of  the  police,  when"  a  fire  occurred,  to  form  a  line, 
at  least  two  hundred  feet  distant  from  the  said  fire,  on  either  side  thereof ;  and  under  no 
circumstances  should  they  permit  any  person  to  pass  said  line,  unless  said  person  should 
wear  the  uniform  or  badge  of  the  fire  department,  the  uniform  of  the  insurance  patrol, 
or  be  a  member  of  the  Common  Council,  a  member  of  the  police  department,  or  an  owner 
or  resident  of  property  within  the  prescribed  lines. 

The  salary  of  the  chief  engineer  was  increased  to  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars 
per  annum. 

In  August,  1856,  the  state  of  the  department  had  never  been  so  encouraging  or  its 
working  more  perfect,  and  that,  too,  while  laboring  under  many  disadvantages.  The  de- 
partment consisted  of  fourteen  engineers,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-four  engine 
men,  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  hose  men,  three  hundred  and  sixty-six 
hook  and  ladder  men,  and  thirty-three  hydrant  men,  amounting  to  a  total  of  three  thou- 
sand and  eighty-five  men,  an  increase  of  four  hundred  and  fifty-four  over  the  roll  of 
1855.  These  were  divided  into  forty-six  engine  companies,  fifty-eight  hose  companies, 
fourteen  hook  and  ladder  companies,  and  four  hydrant  companies.  There  were  thirty- 
five  engines  in  good  condition,  five  ordinary,  five  building,  and  one  rebuilding;  forty-nine 
hose  carriages  in  good  condition,  six  ordinary,  two  building,  and  one  rebuilding;  twelve 
hook  and  ladder  trucks  in  good  condition,  and  two  building.  There  was  a  total  of  sixty- 
eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  hose  in  use. 


99 


J.  W.   DE   LAMATER,  Gen  l  Mgr. 
HOTCHKISS  IMPORT  CO. 


SOLE  IMPORTERS 

HOTCHKISS   CARS  20  W.  60th  STREET 

FOR  U    S.  OF  AMERICA  NEW  YORK 


IOO 


The  loss  by  fires  during  the  year  ending"  July  31.  1856,  was  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  thousand  and  thirty  dollars,  being  a  decrease  of  five  hundred  and  thirty-five  thou- 
sand and  eighty-nine  dollars  from  1855. 

The  rowdies  had  for  a  long  time  remained  quiet,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  depart- 
ment would  not  again  be  molested  by  them.  But  of  late  three  attacks  had  been  made.  In 
one  case  Engine  Company  No.  41  were  proceeding  at  great  haste  to  a  fire,  when  they 
were  set  upon  by  these  miscreants  with  clubs,  slung-shots,  and  stones.  Several  members 
of  the  department  were  knocked  down,  one  of  whom  was  run  over  by  the  engine  and 
seriously  injured.  Another,  Hose  Company  No.  15,  were  attacked  while  attending  to 
their  duty,  the  men  driven  away,  and  the  carriage  upset  in  the  street.    The  third  was  an 


First  silbly  Steam  Fire  engine,  Tested  at  Crystal  palace,  1856 

attack  on  the  engine  house  of  Company  No.  32  by  a  gang  of  rowdies.  It  was  useless  to 
look  to  the  police  justices  for  redress,  for  it  was  well  known  they  dared  not  grant  it, 
the  political  influence  of  the  gangs  being  so  great. 

An  ordinance  to  reorganize  the  fire  department  was  introduced  in  July.  1856.  It 
provided,  among  other  things,  for  one  chief  engineer,  eighteen  assistants,  and  as  many 
fire  engine  men,  hook  and  ladder  men,  and  hose  men  that  were  then  or  might  thereafter 
be  appointed  by  the  Common  Council  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  "An  act  for 
the  better  regulation  of  the  firemen  in  the  city  of  New  York."  passed  March  29,  1855. 
The  chief  and  his  assistants  should  severally  be  elected  by  the  firemen  by  ballot.  The 
first  election  for  chief  engineer  should  take  place  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first  Mon- 

101 


=====  Compliments  of  ======= 

The  New  York 
Curtain  Company 

1402  Broadway,  New  York 


day  in  February,  1857,  and  thereafter  every  three  years  ;  and  the  first  election  for  assist- 
ant engineers  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  June,  1857.  The  chief 
engineer  should  at  the  time  of  his  election  be  a  fireman  who  had  served  the  full  term  pre- 
scribed by  law  ;  should  receive  a  yearly  salary  of  three  thousand  dollars.  Each  of  the 
assistants  should  be  a  fireman  who  had  served  three  years,  and  should  be  an  actual  resi- 
dent of  the  district  in  which  he  was  nominated,  and  for  which  he  was  elected. 

No  fireman,  while  under  suspension  for  any  violations  of  the  provisions  of  the  ordi- 
nance, should  be  permitted  to  wear  a  fire  cap  bearing  the  frontispiece  of  the  company 
to  which  he  was  attached  nor  allowed  to  vote,  nor  permitted  to  frequent  the  house  occu- 
pied by  the  company,  or  take  part  in  any  of  the  meetings  of  the  said  company. 

At  the  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  and  Firemen,  held  September  4, 
1856,  it  was  decided  that  the  number  of  men  at  that  time  allowed  to  the  different  fire 
companies,  namely,  first-class  engines,  sixty  men ;  second-class,  fifty  men ;  third-class, 
forty  men ;  hose  companies,  twenty-five  men ;  and  hook  and  ladder  companies,  forty 
men,  was  sufficient  to  perform  the  necessary  duties  of  the  respective  companies,  and 
that  any  further  addition  to  companies  by  the  Common  Council  would  be  prejudicial  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  fire  department. 

This  action  was  deemed  necessary  because  of  a  resolution  adopted  by  the  Board  of 
Councilmen  to  increase  the  force  of  Hose  Company  No.  9  five  men,  on  the  face  of  the 
remonstrance  and  protest  of  the  chief  engineer  of  the  department.  The  Board  of  Alder- 
men concurred  in  the  action  of  their  legislative  brethren,  and  filed  away  the  communi- 
cation of  the  fire  chief  for  future  action  on  the  kalends  of  February. 

Harry  Howard,  of  No.  108  Leonard  Street,  was  elected  chief  engineer  on  February 
3>  1857. 

In  January,  1858,  the  fire  department  was  composed  of  fifty-two  engine  companies, 
sixty-two  hose  companies,  fifteen  hook  and  ladder  companies,  and  four  hydrant  compan- 
ies, with  a  force  of  over  two  thousand  men.  The  estimate  for  that  year  for  apparatus, 
and  their  repairs,  etc.,  was  sixty  thousand  dollars,  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  expendi- 
tures for  buildings  and  repairs  to  them,  salaries,  and  lighting  the  engine  and  other  houses. 
The  real  estate  and  houses  on  leased  ground  belonging  to  the  corporation,  in  use  by  the 
department,  were  valued  at  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  the  apparatus  at  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars,  the  interest  of  which,  at  six  per  cent.,  would  amount  annually  to 
twenty-two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  making  the  total  yearly  cost  of  protecting  the 
city  against  fires,  independent  of  the  use  of  the  water  and  hydrants,  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty-two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 

The  voluntary  service  of  the  members  of  the  department  frequently  bestowed  at  the 
hazard,  and  often  the  sacrifice,  of  their  lives,  had  given  them  a  strong  claim  to  the  good 
will  of  the  Common  Council  and  of  the  citizens  generally. 

The  introduction  of  the  steam  fire  engines  into  the  department  had  been  the  subject 
of  consideration  for  the  preceding  two  years,  and  an  appropriation  was  made  in  1857  of 
nineteen  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  experiment.  But 
no  definite  steps  had  as  yet  been  taken  toward  purchasing  any  apparatus  of  that  de- 
scription. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  April,  1858,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature  extending  and 
continuing  in  force  until  May,  1880,  unless  sooner  altered,  modified  or  repealed,  the  act 
incorporating  the  firemen  of  the  city  of  New  York,  passed  March  20,  1798,  and  all  acts 
and  parts  of  acts  relating  to  said  incorporation. 

In  February,  1858,  one  year  after  the  selection  of  Chief  Howard,  the  department  con- 
sisted of  fourteen  engineers,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  members  of  engine 
companies,  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  members  of  hose  companies,  and 
four  hundred  and  fifty-two  members  of  hook  and  ladder  companies  ;  making  a  total  of 
three  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine  men,  an  increase  of  four  hundred  and  seventy- 
four  over  the  number  on  the  rolls  one  year  before.  These  were  divided  into  forty-eight 
engine  companies,  sixty  hose  companies,  and  fifteen  hook  and  ladder  companies.  There 
were  forty-nine  engines  in  good  condition,  nine  ordinary,  and  two  rebuilding ;  forty- 
three  hose  carriages  in  good  condition,  sixteen  ordinary ;  eleven  hook  and  ladder 
trucks  in  good  condition,  and  four  ordinary ;  twenty-seven  hose  tenders  in  good  condi- 
tion, seven  ordinary  and  fifteen  building.   There  were  in  use  thirty-three  thousand  four 


103 


THE    MARBRIDGE    BUILDING.    Broadway.  Northeast  Corner  34th  Street. 


A    MODERN    OFFICE  BUILDING 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  corner  store,  18  feet,  9  inches  wide.  The  Marbridge  Building  covers  the 
entire  Broadway  block  between  34th  and  35th  Streets,  having  a  frontage  of  150  feet  on  34th  Street  and  93 
feet  on  35th  Street  — an  aggregate  area  of  28,800  square  feet. 

It  says  the  very  last  word  on  fireproof  steel  construction,  and  is  really  modern  in  the  true  sense  of  that 
sadly  overworked  phrase. 

All  large  areas  are  equipped  with  sprinklers  — the  only  fire  protection  that  always  protects,  and  instead 
of  swearing  at  you  every  time  you  look  ceilingwards  with  all  the  ugly  nakedness  of  a  factory  piping,  every- 
thing except  the  sprinkler  heads  is  concealed  ;  even  the  automatic  fire  alarm  wires  are  under  cover. 

The  entire  building  is  cleaned  by  the  Vacuum  System  no  mere  sanitary  fad,  but  a  common-sense 
method  that  takes  the  dirt  bodily  out  of  the  building;  doesn't  simply  scatter  it,  leaving  it  to  settle  in  some 
other  place  once  the  momentary  daily  disturbance  is  over. 

There  are  twelve  elevators,  all  twelve  of  the  Standard  Plunger  type,  which  insures  safety — no  cables 
to  break  or  get  out  of  order ;  and  then  in  a  Plunger  you  escape  the  annoying  trembling  and  vibration  of  the 
ordinary  elevator.    Less  delays,  less  repairs. 

Plans  and  further  information  may  be  had  from  your  own  broker,  or  from  a  representative  of  the 
owner  on  the  premises. 

1 04 


hundred  feet  of  hose  in  good  order,  thirty-seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
ordinary  condition,  and  ten  thousand  four  hundred  feet  in  very  bad  condition. 

There  was  a  large  decrease  in  the  amount  of  losses  by  fire  during  1857  as  compared 
with  1856.  Total  number  of  fires  for  the  year  ending  July  31,  1856,  three  hundred  and 
fifty-four ;  alarms,  one  hundred  and  nine ;  total  loss  by  fire,  six  hundred  and  thirty-two 
thousand  and  thirty  dollars.  Total  number  of  fires  from  February  17,  1857,  to  February 
17,  1858,  three  hundred  and  twenty-two;  alarms,  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight;  total  loss 
by  fire,  four  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars. 

All  hook  and  ladder  companies  (ordinance  January  7,  1857),  were  allowed  ten  addi- 
tional men ;  all  the  hose  companies,  thirty  men ;  all  first-class  engines,  seventy  men ;  sec- 
ond-class, sixty  men ;  and  third-class,  fifty  men. 

The  Street  Department  superintended  the  making  of,  repairing,  and  lighting  the  pub- 
lic roads  and  avenues ;  constructing,  repairing,  and  lighting  the  public  buildings ;  repair- 
ing wells  and  pumps ;  supplying  the  public  rooms  and  offices  of  the  corporation,  the  court 
rooms,  the  police  station  houses,  the  engine,  hose,  and  hook  and  ladder  houses ;  and  the 
public  markets,  with  fuel,  stationery,  printing,  and  all  other  things  necessary  therefor ; 
constructing  and  repairing  fire  engines,  hose  carts,  hooks  and  ladders,  hose,  and  other 
machines  and  apparatus  for  the  use  of  the  fire  department.  There  were  two  bureaus  in 
the  Street  Department,  namely,  a  bureau  for  the  building  and  repairing  of  wharves  and 
piers,  called  the  Bureau  of  Wharves  ;  a  bureau  for  constructing  and  repairing  the  public 
buildings,  and  repairing  of  wells  and  pumps ;  for  the  supplying  of  public  rooms  and 
offices  of  the  corporation,  the  court  rooms,  the  police  station  houses,  the  engine,  hose, 
and  hook  and  ladder  houses,  and  public  markets,  with  fuel,  stationery,  printing,  and  all 
other  things  necessary  therefor,  called  the  "Bureau  of  Repairs  and  Supplies ;"  a  bureau 
for  repairing  engines  and  fire  apparatus,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  engineer. 

While  proceeding  to  a  fire  in  July,  1857,  Chief  Engineer  Harry  Howard  was  at- 
tacked with  paralysis,  the  consequence  of  severe  fire  duty  which  he  had  previously  per- 
formed. 

An  ordinance  for  the  better  regulation  of  the  Fire  Department  went  into  operation  on 
March  29,  1858.  It  became  the  duty  of  firemen  to  prevent  boys  or  disorderly  characters 
from  congregating  in  or  about  the  place  of  deposit  of  the  various  apparatus,  and  not  to 
allow  the  said  place  of  deposit  to  be  used  for  any  other  purposes  than  those  directly  con- 
nected with  the  performance  of  their  duty  as  firemen.  No  persons  other  than  members 
and  exempt  members  of  the  company,  or  of  the  Fire  Department,  in  good  standing,  were 
allowed  to  sleep  in  any  engine,  hose,  or  hook  and  ladder  house ;  the  street  doors  should 
not  be  kept  open,  except  while  persons  were  passing  in  and  out,  or  while  any  necessary 
repairs  or  cleaning  were  being  performed.  Good  order  should  be  preserved  in  and  about 
the  houses  occupied  by  their  respective  companies.  In  going  to  or  returning  from  a  fire, 
the  drag-rope  was  the  proper  place  for  the  firemen,  except  the  officers  in  command. 
These  should  prevent  all  boys  and  noisy  'improper  persons  from  taking  hold  of  the  rope. 
On  no  account  should  a  person,  other  than  a  member  of  the  company,  or  a  member  or 
exempt  member  of  the  Fire  Department,  known  to  at  least  two  of  the  members  of  the 
company  present,  be  allowed  to  manage  or  have  any  control  of  the  tongue  or  tiller  of  any 
apparatus  in  going  to  or  returning  from  a  fire.  The  officers  and  members  of  each  and 
every  company,  when  returning  with  their  apparatus  from  a  fire,  or  alarm  of  fire,  were 
warned  against  any  racing  of  their  company  with  any  other  company,  and  cautioned  to 
abstain  from  any  conduct  that  would  be  likely  to  cause  a  breach  of  the  peace,  or  reflect 
discredit  on  the  fire  department.  Also  it  should  be  their  duty  to  use  all  endeavors  to 
cultivate  good  feeling  among  the  members. 

The  working  organization  of  the  fire  department  in  February,  1859,  consisted  of 
fourteen  engineers ;  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-two  members  of  engine  com- 
panies ;  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  members  of  hose  companies ;  and  five 
hundred  and  two  members  of  hook  and  ladder  companies ;  a  total  of  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  men,  an  increase  of  one  hundred  and  forty-one  over  the  previous  year.  The 
number  of  men  allowed  to  each  company  were  to  first-class  engine  companies,  seventy 
men ;  second-class,  sixty  men ;  third-class,  fifty  men  ;  hook  and  ladder,  fifty  men  ;  and 
hose,  thirty  men.    The  amount  of  loss  by  fire  showed  an  increase  over  1858. 

The  department  had  been  much  agitated  on  the  subject  of  steam  fire  engines,  and 
the  merits  of  the  innovation  on  hand  power  had  been  freely  commented  upon  not  only 

105 


"The  Leading  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Jlmerica.  " 


Incorporated  1819  Charter  Perpetual 

CASH  CAPITAL   $4,000,000.00 

CASH  ASSETS   16,500,733.45 

TOTAL  LIABILITIES   7,293,655.52 

NET  SURPLUS   5,207,077.93 

SURPLUS  FOR  POLICY  HOLDERS           .         .  9,207,077.93 

LOSSES  PAID  IN  90  YEARS      .         .         .  115,798,170.31 

WM.  B.  CLARK,  President 

W.  H.  KING,  Vice-President 
HENRY  E.  REES,  Secretary 

Assistant  Secretaries 
A.  N.  WILLIAMS,       E.  J.  SLOAN,       E.  S.  ALLEN,       GUY  E.  BEARDSLEY 

W.  F.  WHITTELSEY,  Jr.,  "Marine" 


WESTERN  BRANCH, 


(  THOS.  E.  GALLAGHER,  General  Agent 
}  L.  O.  KOHTZ,  Ass't  General  Agent 
159  La  Salle  Street,  Chicago,  Ills,  j  j  s  GADSDEN,   General  Agent,  Marine 

NORTHWESTERN  BRANCH,  J  WM.  H.  WYMAN,  General  Agent 

Omaha,  Neb.  (  W-  P-  HARFORD,  Ass't  General  Agent 

PACIFIC  BRANCH,  i  E.  C.  MORRISON,  General  Agent; 

5  1  4  California  St.,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  (  A.  G.  SANDERSON,  Ass't  General  Agent 

f  CHICAGO,  ILLS.,  1 59  La  Salle  Street 

imf  Ax,n  uAD.Mr  nrDADTUCMT         J  NEW  YORK,  95-97  William  Street 
INLAND  MARINE  DEPARTMENT        i  BOSTON,  70  Kilby  Street 

I  PHILADELPHIA,  226  Walnut  Street 


JOHN  M.  TALBOT  &  CO.,  Agents 

95  WILLIAM  STREET,  NEW  YORK 

106 


in  the  department,  but  by  all  classes  of  citizens.  The  Common  Council  had  for  the  use 
of  the  city  two  large  steam  fire  engines  from  Messrs.  Lee  &  Larned,  patentees.  Those 
engines  had  been  completed  and  experimental  exhibitions  of  their  powers  had  been  given 
at  different  times.  They  had  also  been  put  in  practical  operation  on  two  occasions, 
namely,  at  the  fire  in  Duane  Street  on  the  evening  of  January  17,  1859,  and  at  the  fire  in 
South  Street  on  January  24.  But  these  tests  failed  to  satisfy  the  members  of  the  depart- 
ment of  the  value  of  the  steam  fire  engines,  who  stated  that  the  expectations  hoped  from 
their  introduction  had  not  been  in  any  manner  realized. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  the  Xew  York  Fire  Department  held  on  May 
20,  1859,  the  following  persons  were  elected  commissioners  : 

Thomas  Lawrence  for  the  full  term  of  five  years,  in  place  of  John  W .  Schenck, 
whose  term  of  office  had  expired.  John  J.  Gorman,  to  serve  four  years,  in  place  of  Nelson 
D.  Thayer,  resigned.  Ernest  W.  Brown,  to  serve  two  years,  in  place  of  Robert  H. 
Ellis,  resigned ;  and  William  M.  Tweed,  to  serve  two  years,  in  place  of  William  Wright, 
resigned. 


Old  Houses  at  the  Junction  of  spring,  Marion  and  elm  Streets 
Going  to  a  Fire  at  Centre  market,  1861 

The  several  fire  insurance  companies  doing  business  in  the  city  made  a  proposition  to 
the  city  government  to  furnish  and  present  a  steam  fire  engine  to  the  corporation.  This 
proposition  was  accepted  on  the  eighth  of  February,  1859. 

John  Decker  succeeded  Harry  Howard  as  chief  engineer  of  the  department  in  Feb- 
ruary, i860.  The  working  force  then  consisted  of  fourteen  engineers,  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  thirty-four  members  of  engine  companies,  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
eleven  members  of  hose  companies,  five  hundred  and  eighty-two  members  of  hook  and 
ladder  companies,  making  a  total  of  four  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  men, 
an  increase  of  five  hundred  and  twenty-seven  over  the  force  of  1859.  These  were  divided 
into  fifty  engine  companies,  fifty-six  hose  companies,  and  seventeen  hook  and  ladder 
companies. 

Chief  Decker,  as  well  as  his  predecessor,  took  up  the  controversy  on  the  subject  of 
steam  fire  engines  for  the  department,  condemning  their  use.    He  said  that  at  large  fires 

107 


ALEX.  LYONS 

Res.  Tel.,  255  Morningside 


LOUIS  STADHOLZ 

Res.  Tel.,  768  Morningside 


ALBERT  LYONS 

Res.  Tel.,  3676-79th  St. 


LYONS,  STADHOLZ  &  CO. 

ADJUSTERS  OF 

Fire  Losses  for  Assured 

68  WILLIAM  STREET 

TELEPHONES  {  J»J  |  JOHN  N£W  YORK 

THE  METROPOLITAN 

Casualty  Insurance  Co.  of  New  York 

(Formerly:  The  ^Metropolitan  Plate  Glass  and  Casualty  Ins.  Co.) 
HOME   OFFICE!   47   CEDAR  STREET 

CHARTERED  1874 

Thirty-five  years  learning  how  best  to  serve  our  policy-holders 


PLATE  GLASS  

PERSONAL  ACCIDENT 
HEALTH  


INSURANCE 


Study  our  Accident,  Health  and  Plate  Glass  Policies  and 
learn  why  they  are  Superior  to  any  others  on  the  market 


EUGENE  H.  WINSLOW,  President  DANIEL  D.  WHITNEY,  Vice-President 

S.  WILLIAM  BURTON,  Secretary  ALONZO  G.  BROOKS,  Asst.  Secretary, 

108 


they  were  serviceable  auxiliaries  to  the  hand  engines,  but  they  could  never  take  the  place 
of  the  hand  apparatus,  as  eight  fires  out  of  every  ten  that  occurred  were  brought  under 
subjection  by  the  quickness  of  operation  of  the  hand  engines,  so  that  there  was  no  ne- 
cessity for  placing  the  steamers  to  work. 

A  resolution  was  introduced  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen  at  the  meeting  held  on  Janu- 
ary 10,  1861,  directing  that  the  legislature  be  memorialized  for  the  passage  of  an  act 
transferring  the  entire  government  of  the  fire  department  from  the  mayor,  aldermen,  and 
commonality  of  the  city  of  New  York  to  the  Board  of  Fire  Commissioners,  reserving 
only  to  the  mayor,  etc.,  the  control,  supervision,  and  ownership  of  the  real  estate,  build- 
ings and  apparatus  of  the  department.    The  proposition  was  lost  by  a  vote  of  six  to  eleven. 

It  had  been  represented  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen  that  the  Commissioners  of  the  fire 
department  had  neglected  and  refused  to  report  to  the  Common  Council  for  approval 
their  proceedings  in  the  investigation  of  charges  against  members  of  the  department, 
with  their  decision  thereon,  claiming  and  insisting  under  authority  of  the  laws  creating 
the  Board  of  Commissioners,  passed  March  29,  1855,  as. amended  by  the  act  of  March  2, 
1861,  and  their  decisions  were  final  and  conclusive. 

The  Common  Council  regarded  such  claim  as  being  derogatory  of  their  authority 
and  repugnant  to  the  spirit  of  the  laws,  which  provided  an  appeal  from  the  decisions  of 
all  tribunals  of  inferior  and  limited  jurisdiction,  and  decided  to  take  steps  to  establish  its 
falsity. 

There  was  a  force  of  four  thousand  and  forty  men  in  the  department  in  June,  1861. 
The  total  number  of  fires  for  the  year  ending  May  31,  1861,  was  four  hundred  and  three, 
and  the  total  loss  one  million  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand  two  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  dollars,  one-third  of  which  was  lost  at  one  fire  in  Warren  Street,  in  No- 
vember, i860.  The  following  companies  had  been  provided  and  were  doing  duty  with 
steam  fire  engines.  Nos.  2,  6,  7,  8,  26,  28,  38,  42,  46,  47,  and  exempt  engine  and  hose 
company  No.  57.  In  addition  to  those,  the  Common  Council  had  authorized  the  pro- 
viding of  steam  engines  for  companies  Nos.  5,  21,  33,  and  hose  company  No.  52,  making 
a  total  of  sixteen  steamers,  which  was  considered  a  sufficient  number  for  any  ordinary 
emergency. 

Never  since  the  organization  of  the  fire  department  had  that  institution  been  in  a 
more  thriving  condition,  nor  had  its  prospects  presented  a  fairer  aspect  than  in  1862. 
During  the  year  the  general  conduct  of  the  members  had  been  exceptionally  good,  the 
causes  of  complaint  being  fewer  than  in  any  preceding  year,  and  the  several  companies 
appearing  to  vie  with  each  other  in  their  endeavors  to  uphold  before  the  whole  commu- 
nity the  long  established,  generally  good  reputation  of  the  organization.  The  working 
force  consisted  of  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fourteen  men,  a  decrease  of  four 
hundred  and  thirteen  from  1861.  The  total  number  of  fires  for  the  year  was  three  hun- 
dred and  eleven ;  and  the  total  loss  one  million  four  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand 
five  hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars. 

A  large  fire  occurred  in  January,  1862,  at  the  corner  of  Fulton  and  Pearl  Streets. 
Owing  chiefly  to  the  large  quantities  of  oils  stored  in  two  of  the  buildings,  the  fire 
spread  with  such  fearful  rapidity  that  it  was  only  by  the  most  extraordinary  exertions  on 
the  part  of  the  firemen  that  the  city  was  saved  from  a  conflagration  second  only  to  those 
of  1835  and  1845. 

On  a  requisition  made  upon  him  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  Mayor  Opdyke  dis- 
patched to  Fortress  Monroe,  in  Virginia,  on  April  17,  the  two  powerful  hand  engines 
built  for  and  used  by  engine  companies  Nos.  16  and  31.  Assistant  Engineer  John  Baulch, 
together  with  two  members  from  each  company,  proceeded  to  Fortress  Monroe  with  the 
apparatus,  and  were  employed  to  take  charge  of  them. 

The  gross  expenditure  for  the  department  for  the  year  1862  amounted  to  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty  thousand  five  hundred  and  twelve  dollars  and  fifty-six  cents  ;  for  the 
year  1861  it  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  thirty-seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
ninety-one  dollars  and  seventy-eight  cents,  showing  an  increase  for  1862  of  forty-two 
thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  and  seventy-eight  cents.  Much  of  this  expendi- 
ture was  incurred  for  fire  machines  and  apparatus,  including  a  number  of  steam  engines. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  held  on  May 
12,  1863,  John  J.  Gorman  was  elected  fire  commissioner  for  the  ensuing  five  years. 

During  the  year  1862-63  the  loss  by  fire  amounted  to  one  million  one  hundred  and 


IO() 


THE  WASHINGTON  TRUST  CO. 

OF   THE!   CITY   OF   NEW  YORK 
Organized  in  1889  253  BROADWAY,  CORNER  MURRAY  STREET 

Capital,  Surplus  and  Undivided  Profits,  $1,800,000 

DAVID    M.    MORRISON,  Pruident 

GEORGE  AUSTIN   MORRISON,  Vici-Prcsident  M.  S.  LOTT,  Secretary 

PHINEAS  C.  LOUNSBURY,  Vice-President  H.  F.  PRICE,  A»»t.  Secretary 

FRANCIS   H.  PAGE,  2nd  Vice-President  G.  W.  TOERGE,  2nd  A»st  Secretary 


Charles  H.  Russell 
Phineas  C.  Lounsbury 
David  M.  Morrison 
Seth  E.  Thomas 
Lucius  K.  Wilmerding 
Geo.  Austin  Morrison 
John  C.  Baldwin 


TRUSTEES 

William  Whiting 
H.  J.  S.  Hall 
Clarence  W.  Seamans 
Carl  Schefer 
William  A.  Putnam 
Charles  M.  Clark 
Francis  H.  Page 


George  F.  Vietor 
George  W.  Jenkins 
William  Barbour 
Dr.  John  P.  Munn 
George  Gray  Ward 
Robert  A.  Drysdale 
William  Carroll 


INTEREST  ALLOWED  ON  DEPOSITS 


This  Company  is  especially  designated  by  the  SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW 
YORK  a  legal  depository  for  Court  and  Trust  Funds,  and  is  authorized  to  do  any  and  all  other  bus- 
iness usually  done  by  Trust  Companies  of  responsibility  and  standing. 

E.ST.A.BLISHE.D  1884 

Ntotenttlj  Wari  lank 

MAIN  OFFICE 
Third  Avenue  and  Fifty-seventh  Street 


BRANCHES 

86th  STREET  and  SECOND  AVENUE  72d  STREET  and  THIRD  AVENUE 

34th  STREET  and  THIRD  AVENUE 


WARNER    M.   VAN    NORDEN,  President 


CAPITAL  $300,000  SURPLUS  $400,000 

Business  and  Personal  Accounts  Solicited 

Interest  Department  for  Inactive  Funds 

no 


JOHN  DECKER 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  1860-1865 

in 


HOWARD  HOULDER  &  PARTNERS 

INCORPORATED 

Steamship    Agents   and  General  Freight  Contractors 

REGULAR   LINES  OF  STEAMERS  TO 

CHINA,  JAPAN.  PHILIPPINES,  COREA.  URUGUAY, 
ARGENTINE  and  other  SOUTH  AMERICAN  PORTS 


Telephones  5985-5986  Broad 


21-24  STATE  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


SPEND  YOUR  VACATION  ^o^DSTITWELVEI>AYS' 
RED  CROSS  LINE 

To  Halifax,  NOVA  SCOTIA  and  St.  John's,  NEWFOUNDLAND 


New  Steamer  "FLORIZEL"  and  Popular  Steamer  "ROSALIND" 

(Equipped  with  Marconi  Wireless.  Submarine  Bells  and  Searchlight) 
Charming  daylight  sail  through  Long  Island,  Vineyard  and  Nantucket  Sounds.    Fine  view  of  picturesque  Nova  Scotia 
andlthe  bold,  rugged  Newfoundland  coast.    Abundance  of  fishing  end  shooting  in  season.    The  cost,  which  includes  berth  and 
meals  is  moderate.    Passengers  have  the  privilege  of  living  on  board  in  both  ports  without  extra  charge,  thereby  saving  hotel 
expenses. 

SAILING  EVERY  SATURDAY  AT  11  A.  M.    During  the  Summer  and  Autumn. 


Descriptive  pamphlet  (illustrated) 
mailed  on'application  ;  : 


BOWRING  &  CO.,  17  State  Street,  NEW  YORK 


SIMPSON,  SPE1NCE  C£l  YOUNG 

§>t?amsbtp  Ulanagera  nnb  Agntta 


Agents,  CREOLE  LINE 

Mediterranean  Ports  to  New  York 


MANAGERS: 
Norfolk  and  North  American  Steam  Shipping  Co.,  Ltd. 
The  Texas  Transport  and  Terminal  Company,  Inc. 

The  Port  Arthur,  Texas.  Transatlantic  Line,  Inc. 


1  1  Broadway         New  York 


EUROPEAN  OFFICES 


2-3-4  Billiter  Avenue 
17  Water  Street 
7  Royal  Bank  Place 
Scandinavian  Chambers 


LONDON 
-  LIVERPOOL 
GLASGOW 
WEST  HARTLEPOOL 


1 12 


ninety-one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-two  dollars.  The  number  of  fires  was  two 
hundred  and  sixty-eight. 

The  working  force  of  the  department  at  the  close  of  the  year  1863-64  numbered 
three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty  men,  a  decrease  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-two 
from  the  previous  year.  The  total  loss  amounted  to  two  million  nine  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  thousand  and  fifty-four  dollars.  The  increase  in  loss  was  principally  due  to  the 
numerous  fires  that  occurred  during  the  riots  of  1863,  the  amount  for  July  alone  footing 
up  one  million  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  and  sixty-eight  dollars. 

Intimation  was  given  early  in  the  year  1865  of  the  change  that  was  soon  to  take 
place  in  the  constitution  of  the  fire  department.  Certainly  no  city  in  the  world  possessed 
a  more  complete  fire  organization  in  the  number  of  engines,  the  effectiveness  of  the 
steam  machines,  the  copious  supply  of  water,  or  the  gallant  army  of  volunteers  directing 
these  means  for  the  preservation  of  property.  The  generosity  and  public  spirit  of  the  fire- 
men could  not  be  more  highly  appreciated,  and  nothing  could  efface  the  glorious  records 
of  their  previous  history,  so  full  of  instances  of  heroic,  daring  and  unselfish  toil.  Many 
of  its  friends,  however,  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  system  so  admirably  adapted  to  a 
small  city  was  not  suited  to  a  metropolis,  and  that  economy,  as  well  as  the  new  machin- 
ery, demanded  a  change. 

On  March  30,  1865,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  creating  a  "Metropolitan  Fire  De- 
partment." On  the  thirty-first  of  March  Chief  Engineer  Decker  sent  a  communication  to 
the  Common  Council  requesting  instructions  in  relation  thereto.  As  some  time  would 
necessarily  elapse  before  the  new  system  could  be  properly  and  efficiently  placed  in  a  po- 
sition to  meet  all  that  would  be  required  therefrom  in  respect  to  the  full  protection  of  the 
lives  and  property  of  the  citizens — the  substitution  of  a  paid  system  in  place  of  the  volun- 
teer organization — and  as  much  suffering,  and  perhaps  loss  of  life,  might  ensue  in  case  of 
a  disastrous  conflagration  unless  the  volunteer  organizations  were  continued  in  service,  the 
Common  Council  urged  upon  the  officers  and  members  of  the  department  the  public  neces- 
sity of  their  still  continuing  their  previous  energetic  and  humane  efforts  in  arresting  on  all 
occasions  as  heretofore  the  progress  of  the  devouring  element,  thereby  not  only  prevent- 
ing thousands  of  helpless  women  and  children  from  being  rendered  homeless  and  desti- 
tute, but  wreathing  around  the  memory  of  the  volunteer  organization  of  the  New  York 
Fire  Department  a  record  of  fame  and  usefulness  of  which  both  themselves  and  their 
children  in  after  time  might  well  be  proud. 

The  four  commissioners  appointed  under  the  act  organized  on  May  2.  Immediately 
the  Attorney-General  of  the  State  in  his  official  capacity  and  on  behalf  of  the  people,  sued 
out  an  injunction,  enjoining  them  from  taking  possession  of  the  city's  property,  also  a  writ 
of  quo  warranto,  compelling  them  to  show  by  what  warrant  they  held  their  office  as  fire 
commissioners  (the  Attorney-General  believing  that  the  said  "Metropolitan  Fire  Law" 
was  unconstitutional). 

The  matter  was  tried  in  the  Supreme  Court,  and  finally  carried  to  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals at  Albany.  That  court  on  the  twenty-second  of  June  deciding  the  law  constitu- 
tional, the  commissioners  took  possession  of  the  department  immediately. 

Tbe  commission  consisted  of  Charles  C.  Pinckney,  president;  James  W.  Booth, 
Philip  W.  Engs,  and  Martin  B.  Brown. 

As  time  rolls  on  the  interest  in  the  old  fire  department  of  New  York  seems  to 
deepen.  There  is  nothing  like  the  institution  in  the  history  of  any  other  city  of  this 
continent  or  in  fact  in  Europe.  So,  too,  does  the  new  department  stand  head  and  shoul- 
ders above  any  fire  department  in  the  world.  The  doings  of  both  make  a  chronicle  more 
interesting  than  any  romance  or  novel.    Apart  from  the  dry  records  of  fires  attended  by 


BELT  WORN  BY  NEW  YORK  FIREMEN,  YEAR  1849,  VOLUNTEERS 

113 


Hotel  Cumberland 

S.  W.  Corner  Broadway  and  Fifty-fourth  Street 
NEW  YORK 

Near  50th  Street  Subway  Station,  53d  Street 
Elevated,    and    all    Surface  Lines 

ONLY  NEW  YORK  HOTEL  WITH  WINDOW  SCREENS  THROUGHOUT 

Ideal  Location;  Near  Theatres 
Shops  and  Central  Park 

"Broadway"  Car  from  Grand 
Central  Depot  passes  the  door 

All  Hardwood  Floors  and 
Oriental  Rugs 

European  Plan 

EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT  "PRICES  MODERATE 

TRANSIENT  RATES,  $2.50  with  Bath,  and  up 
Special  Rates  for  Permanent  Guests 

TEN  MINUTES  WALK  TO  TWENTY  THEATRES 

SEND  FOR  BOOKLET 

HARRY  P.  ST1MSON  R.  J.  BINGHAM 

Formerly  with  Hotel  Imperial  Formerly  with  Hotel  Netherland 


114 


the  old  fire  laddies,  and  the  details  of  the  establishment  of  the  volunteers,  are  incidents 
and  stories  worthy  of  the  attention  of  posterity.  Not  only  to  the  student  of  the  manners 
and  customs  of  bygone  times,  but  to  the  general  reading  public  are  these  matters  full  of 
interest,  and  which  never  weary  in  the  retelling.  These  facts  the  writer  has  gathered 
from  the  most  reliable  sources.  Men  over  whose  heads  the  snows  of  eighty  winters  and 
more  have  passed  have  contributed  their  experience.  Others  whom  we  would  call  old, 
but  whom  the  octogenarians  consider  youthful,  have  likewise  added  their  quota  of  infor- 
mation. In  these  and  the  succeeding  chapters  we  propose  to  place  before  the  reader  a 
picture  of  the  life  of  the  volunteers,  and  a  graphic  sketch  of  the  paid  department.  The 
fights,  the  songs,  the  brave  deeds,  and  the  social  life  of  the  firemen  are  here  set  down,  we 
hope,  in  the  plain  and  simple  language  of  the  impartial  historian. 

For  more  than  half  a  century  the  volunteers  embraced  the  very  best  classes  of  the 
citizens  of  New  York.  Subsequently  their  numbers  were  augmented  by  "runners,"  un- 
official firemen,  of  a  different  grade,  who,  though  no  less  zealous  in  the  performance  of 
duty,  were  full  of  fun,  frolic  and  fight,  making  the  history  of  their  times  decidedly  lively. 
Among  the  distinguished  names  in  the  Mutual  Assistance  Bag  Company,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1803,  and  was  the  forerunner  of  the  present  fire  insurance  patrol,  were  those 
of  the  Bleeckers,  Beekmans,  Cuttings,  De  Peysters,  Irvings,  Laights,  Roosevelts,  Stuyve- 
sants,  Swartwouts,  and  Ten  Eycks. 

Among  other  well-known  names  of  citizens,  highly  respected,  who  were  in  the  old 
fire  department,  are  those  of  Zophar  Mills,  George  T.  Hope,  president  of  the  Continental 
Fire  Insurance  Company;  W.  L.  Jenkins,  president  of  the  Bank  of  America;  Carlisle 
Norwood,  president  of  the  Lorillard  Fire  Insurance  Company ;  Jordan  L.  Mott,  the 
well-known  merchant ;  Thomas  Monahan,  president  of  the  Fulton  Bank  (of  Engine  Com- 
pany No.  4,  afterwards  of  Hose  Company  No.  1)  ;  Frederic  E.  Gilbert,  capitalist  and 
philanthropist,  foreman  of  No.  4,  founder  of  the  New  York  Club  and  for  twelve  years 
its  president.  In  1841  Mr.  Gilbert  acted  as  a  second  to  Mr.  William  Heyward,  of  South 
Carolina,  when  the  latter  fought  a  duel  with  August  Belmont.  Peter  and  Robert  Goelet, 
the  millionaires,  belonged  to  Engine  Company  No.  9;  Morris  Franklin,  president  of 
the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  was  foreman  of  No.  25  (known  as  the  "brass 
back  engine"),  and  had  several  narrow  escapes  from  death;  James  F.  Wenman,  ex-park 
commissioner;  William  H.  Webb,  the  shipbuilder,  ran  with  Live  Oak  No.  44;  John  R. 
Steers,  who  built  the  yacht  America,  was  also  a  member  of  Engine  No.  44 ;  John  W. 
Degrau,  who  was  born  in  1797.  At  the  time  of  the  Philadelphia  Centennial  Exhibition 
it  was  proposed  to  send  to  that  city  a  delegation  of  the  veteran  firemen,  but  not  a  man 
could  be  found  who  was  not  his  junior.  After  the  fire  of  1835  Mr.  Degrau  raised  two 
hose  companies  and  one  thousand  six  hundred  dollars  for  the  purpose  in  one  day.  He 
could  remember  catching  fish  the  whole  length  of  what  is  now  known  as  Canal  Street, 
from  Broadway  to  the  North  River.  His  playmates  were  the  Roosevelts,  the  Goelets, 
the  Irvings — Washington  Irving's  father  kept  a  dry-goods  store  in  William  Street — 
General  Morris,  Drake,  the  poet,  and  Mr.  Hackett,  the  actor.  Then  there  was  Adam  W. 
Spies,  the  successful  hardware  merchant,  now  eighty-six  years  old  and  wealthy.  Mr. 
Spies  was  president  of  the  Stuyvesant  Insurance  Company,  had  travelled  over  Europe, 
an  amateur  artist  of  no  inconsiderable  talent  and  full  of  information  on  a  variety  of  sub- 
jects.  He  was  a  member  of  Engine  Company  No.  5,  and  a  fire  warden. 

Some  of  the  old  firemen  have  found  congenial  occupation  on  Jersey  Heights,  such 
as  Giarles  Merrill,  formerly  secretary  of  Columbia  Hose  Company  No.  9;  Larry  Welsh, 
foreman  of  Howard  Engine  Company  No.  34 ;  James  R.  Tate,  formerly  foreman  of 
Marion  Engine  Compay  No.  9  ("Old  Rock").  In  Hoboken,  there  are  David  Satters, 
formerly  of  Harry  Howard  Hose  Company  No.  55,  now  foreman  of  Hoboken  Engine 
Company  No.  1  ;  Gus  Willis,  of  old  Empire  Engine  Company  No.  42,  now  of  Hoboken 
Engine  Company  No.  1  ;  E.  Gilkyson,  formerly  of  Neptune  Hose  Company  No.  27;  Sam 
Arcer  and  James  Kenny,  now  chief  engineer  of  the  Hoboken  Fire  Department. 

Of  the  quality  of  the  old  firemen,  Mr.  William  Brandon,  speaking  in  1884,  remarked: 
"The  majority  of  people  have  no  idea  of  the  number  of  judges,  aldermen,  prominent 
officials,  and  millionaires  they  see  and  hear  of  in  the  city  of  New  York  who  were  firemen 
once,  lithe,  agile,  and  careless  of  themselves  as  they  climbed  the  ladder  in  summer  to 
the  roof  of  all  houses,  handled  the  almost  frozen  hose  in  the  depths  of  winter,  when  it 
was  like  sheet-iron,  and  encountered  danger  and  death  at  all  seasons."    Thomas  Coman, 


115 


THE 

Trust  Company 
of  America 

37-43  WALL  STREET 

NEW  YORK 

COLONIAL  BRANCH:    I         LONDON  OFFICE : 
222  Broadway,  New  York    95  Oresham  St.,  London,  E.C. 


CAPITAL  and  SURPLUS 

$8,000,000 

Invites  Accounts  of  Individuals, 
Firms  and  Corporations. 

Allows  Interests  on  Deposits. 

Issues  Foreign  Drafts  and  Letters 
of  Credit. 

Executes  Trusts  of  Every  Descrip- 
tion. 


FIDELITY™ 

OF   NEW  YORK 
Cor. Chambers  St.&  W.Broadway 

Ltrul&$i,5oo,ooo.oo 

OFFICERS 
President  — Samuel  S.  Conover 
...      rj      .,     .    I  Wm.  H.  Barnard 
Vice-Presidents  jJohnW.  Nix 

Secretary  — Andrew  H.  Man 
Asst.  Secretary— Stephen  L.  Viele 
Trust  Officer— Arthur  W.  Mellen 

DIRECTORS 
WILLIAM  H.  BARNARD.  Importer 
JAMLS  BUTLER.  President.  Jame.  Butler.  Inc. 
SAMUF.I.  S.  CONOVER.  President 
SAMUEL  CROOKS.  Crooks.  Thomas  &  Company 
WM.  C.  DEMOREST.  President  Realty  Trust 
JAMES  M    DONALD.  Vice-President.  Hanover  Nat.  Bank 
CHARLES  F   DROSTE.  Droste  &  Snyder 
W.  J.  FULLERTON.  Wilson  «c  Bradbury 
HUGH  GAFFNEY.  Van  Loan.  Maguire  &  Gaffney 
EDWIN  E.  JACKSON.  Jr..  Pres.  &  Tr  Boorum  6c  Pease  Co. 
ADOLPH  KASTOR.  A.  Kastor  &  Brother. 
JAMES  H.  KILLOUGH.  J.  H.  Killough  &  Company 
LF.E  KOHNS.  L.  Straus  &  Sons 
HENRY  KROGER.  Henry  Kroger  6c  Company 
CHARLES  F.  MATTLAGE.  Clias.  F.  Mattlage  4c  Son. 
GERRISH  H.  MILLIKEN.  Derring.  Milliken  &  Co. 
JOHN  M.  MOSSMAN.  Bank  and  Safe  Deposit  Vaults 
JAMES  E.  NICHOLS.  Austin.  Nichols  At  Company 
JOHN  W.  NIX.  President.  John  Nix  &  Company 
ALEXANDER  M.  POWELL 
CHARLES  REED.  President.  Pettit  &  Reed 
GEORGE  H   SARGENT.  Sargent  4c  Company 
HAMPDEN  E  TENER.  Jr..  Late  of  Carnegie  Steel  Co. 
EDWARD  H.  TITUS.  Treasurer,  Lord  4c  Taylor 
THEODORE  F.  WHITMARSH.  V.-Pres.  F.  H.  Leggett4c  Co. 
D  W.  WHITMORE.  D  W.  Whitmore  6c  Co. 
JNO.  O.  WILLIAMS.  Vought  6c  Williams 
WILLIAM  WILLS.  Pres.  Merchants"  Refrigerating  Co. 

Interest  Allowed  on  Deposits  Subject  to  Check 

SAFE    DEPOSIT  VAULTS 


The  Fidelity  and  Casualty  Company 

OF  NEW  YORK  " 

97  to  103  CEDAR  STREET  ::  NEW  YORK 


HOWARD  K.  WOOD,  President  K.  K.  McLAREN,  Treasurer 

WM.  H.  CHESEBROUGH,  Vice-President  .      J.  G.  BOSTON,  Secretary 

THE  CORPORATION  TRUST  COMPANY 

37  WALL  STREET,  NEW  YORK 

•I  For  Counsel,  Organizes,  Maintains  and  Represents  Coporations  in  all  States, 
Canada,  Mexico,  England  and  France. 

^  Furnishes  Information  Regarding  Introduction  and  Progress  of  Legisla- 
tion in  all  States. 

<J  Publishes  a  Monthly  Corporation  Journal  Which  is  Sent  Gratuitously  to 
Members  of  the  Bar  on  Request. 

DEALS   ONLY   WITH    MEMBERS   OF   THE  BAR 

n6 


BEWARE 

OF 

"BILL  THE  BURGLAR" 

BURGLARIES  and  THEFTS  have  been 
unusually  common  of  late  and  no  part  of 
the  City  is  excepted. 

There  is  nothing  to  prevent  them,  abso- 
lutely nothing.  Burglar  alarms,  locks, 
bolts  and  all  the  other  partial  safeguards  do 
not  shoulder  your  loss. 

 BUT  

We  Do — We  Pay  You  For  What  You  Lose 

COPYRIGHTED  1902 

New  Amsterdam  Casualty  Company 

No.    1    LIBERTY    STREET,    NEW   YORK  CITY 
ORIGINATOR   OF  THE  FT  INSURANCE 


fork  :  : 

290     and      292  BROADWAY 


KIMBALL  C.  ATWOOD        -  President 


Insures  "  Preferred "  Risks  Only 


118 


of  Engine  Company  No.  13,  rose  to  be  president  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen;  so  did  Alder- 
man Kirk  of  the  same  company ;  of  Hose  Company  No.  60  were  John  Clancy,  editor  of 
the  Leader,  subsequently  county  clerk ;  Congressman  Morgan  Jones,  Supervisor  Walter 
Roach,  and  Police  Captain  Edward  Walsh. 

James  F.  Wenman,  the  ex-park  commissioner,  later  treasurer  of  the  Veteran  Fire- 
men's Association,  whose  headquarters  are  in  East  Tenth  Street,  was  one  of  the  most 
active  of  the  old  firemen.  In  1876  he  saved  the  life  of  a  servant  girl.  It  was  at  a  fire  at 
the  New  York  Club  house.  The  girl  had  endeavored  to  escape  by  going  out  on  the 
broad  ledge  of  the  main  cornice.  The  flames  were  behind  her,  and  a  step  would  have 
precipitated  her  to  the  pavement,  seventy  feet  below.  The  firemen  had  reared  an  extension 
ladder,  but  it  was  found  to  be  ten  or  twelve  feet  too  short.  Mr.  Wenman  made  his  way 
to  the  roof,  seized  the  girl,  and  half  pulling,  half  dragging  her,  finally  succeeded  in  getting 
her  to  the  roof  of  an  adjoining  building. 

The  fireman's  pride  in  his  profession  was  demonstrated  in  a  thousand  and  one  ways, 
and  also  was  his  fond  regard  for  the  seemingly  sole  object  of  his  affection  outside  of  his 
domestic  relations.  As  one  of  the  numerous  illustrations  that  could  be  given,  it  is  re- 
lated that  Foreman  Thomas  Conner  of  Clinton  Engine  Company  No.  41,  being  com- 
pelled throngh  illness  to  resign  his  office,  expressed  the  hope  in  his  letter  of  resignation, 
October  9,  1837,  tnat:  with  their  new  engine  soon  to  arrive,  his  company  would  be  able 
"to  cope  with  anything  that  runs  on  four  wheels."  "When  you  bring  her  home,"  he 
added,  "I  hope  I  will  be  able  to  help  you  escort  her  to  the  house.  I  am  in  hopes  when 
the  new  machine  arrives,  at  the  first  alarm  of  lire  at  night  to  see  that  double  rope  that 
you  have  been  so  long  talking  about,  manned  inside  and  out,  with  young  Gulick  ranged 
ahead  with  the  old  'Stagg,'  placing  the  animal  in  the  most  conspicuous  style.  I  shall  try 
to  take  her  out  the  first  night." 

Benjamin  Strong,  whose  term  of  service  began  as  far  back  as  1791  and  continued 
up  to  1822,  was  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  volunteers.  His  heart  and  soul  were  en- 
grossed in  the  pursuit,  and  his  activity  was  unremitting.  At  the  first  stroke  of  the  alarm 
bell,  even  at  night,  and  even  when  age  was  beginning  to  make  its  enfeebling  influences 
apparent,  he  donned  his  fire  cap  and  joined  the  hastening  throng  of  his  hardy  and  intrepid 
comrades.  He  communicated  his  enthusiasm  to  his  sons  and  daughters,  who  took  an 
honorable  pride  in  their  father's  devotion  to  duty.  Even  after  he  had  resigned  from  the 
department,  he  was  always  disappointed  not  to  be  called  from  his  bed  when  there  had 
been  a  night  alarm. 

An  amusing  story  is  told  of  how  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Association  of 
Exempt  Firemen  came  to  join  the  department.  It  was  about  seventy  years  ago  that  the 
occurrence  took  place.  An  "Old  Vamp,"  then  in  his  prime,  was  sitting  in  a  tavern  in 
Nassau  Street,  when  he  heard  some  of  the  boys  talking  about  joining  an  association. 
He  then  thought  he  would  like  to  belong  to  something  or  other.  So,  when  he  went 
home,  he  told  his  mother  that  he  wanted  to  join  a  society,  he  did  not  much  care  what 
it  was.  There  was  a  great  revival  going  on  in  these  days  in  the  old  Duane  Street 
church,  and,  like  all  good  mothers,  she  told  him  to  come  along  with  her  and  join  the 
church.  "Well,"  said  he,  "I  don't  particularly  care  what  it  is,  but  T  must  belong  to 
something."  So  down  to  the  church  he  went,  but  the  minister  told  him  he  must  go  on 
probation  for  three  months  before  he  could  join.  When  the  three  months  had  expired, 
he  called  on  the  "Dominie,"  but  was  still  told  that  he  must  wait  two  months  longer. 
Some  three  months  passed,  when  the  deacon  met  our  friend  walking  down  Hudson 
Street,  in  a  neat  red  shirt  and  a  fancy  pair  of  suspenders,  bearing  a  number  upon  his 
back,  and  a  coat  thrown  over  his  arm.  "Ah !"  said  the  deacon,  "you  are  the  one  I  want 
to  see.  You  have  not  been  to  the  church  of  late."  "No,  deacon,  that  probation  was  too 
long  for  me."  "But,"  said  the  deacon,  "your  probation  is  at  an  end ;  you  can  now  join  the 
church."  "Too  late,  deacon,  too  late.  I've  joined  an  engine  company  down  here,  and 
its  going  to  take  all  my  time  to  look  after  fires.  I'm  laying  for  one  now.  You  see  I 
was  bound  to  join  something,  and  these  fellows  let  me  in  without  any  probation  ;  all  I 
had  to  do  was  to  shake  down  my  little  two  dollars  and  T  was  called  a  member.  Call 
around  to  see  us,  deacon.  We  have  got  as  bully  a  little  engine  as  ever  stretched  into  a 
fire." 

Considering  the  superior  class  of  men  composing  the  volunteer  department,  the 
morals  of  the  members  must  necessarily  have  been  of  a  corresponding  kind.    This  will 


119 


the  NORTHERN  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  L— 


ESTABLISHED  1836  OF    LONDON  ENTERED  UNITED  STATES.  1876 

LOSSES    PAID,  $80,000,000 

United  States  Assets,  January  1st,  1909,  -  -  -  $4,801,556.50 
United  States  Liabilities,  January  1st,  1909,  -  -  3,075,91  7.48 
United  States  Surplus,  January  1st,  1909,    -    -    -  $1,725,639.02 

NEW  YORK  OFFICE,  COMPANY'S  BUILDING,    -    38  PINE  STREET 


THE  LEADING  EIRE  COMPANY 
OF  THE  WORLD 


Complimentary  to  the 
LEADING  FIRE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  WORLD 


Organized  1859 


GERMANIA 

Fire  Insurance  Co. 

NEW  YORK 


Statement  January  1,  1909 


Cash  Capital  ... 
Premium  Reserve 

Reserve  for  Losses  under  adjustment 

and  for  all  other  claims 
Net  Surplus  ... 

Total  Assets 


$1,000,000.00 
3.155,427.91 


209,145.76 
1,509.442.33 

$5,874,016.00 

Surplus  to  Policy  Holders,  $2,509,442.33 


FR.  VON  BERNUTH  I 
GEO.  B.  EDWARDS  * 
GUSTAV  KEHR 
LOUIS  PF1NGSTAG 


HUGO  SCHUMANN,  President 

Vice-Presidents 


Secretary 
Assistant  Secretary 


ORGANIZED  1837 

WESTCHESTER  FIRE  INSURANCE  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK. 

Gross  Assets         ....  $3,942,359.10 

Gross  Liabilities         -      -      -  2,528,269.78 

Capital   300,000.00 

Surplus  over  all  Liabilities         -  1,1  14,089.32 

WALLACE  REID,  MJZDto         56  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 


120 


be  readily  understood  from  some  peculiar  entries  made  in  the  minute  books  of  the  com- 
panies. For  instance,  in  the  book  of  Engine  Company  No.  21  is  found  the  following: 
"W  in.  A.  Baker  reports  Mr.  Crossthwaite  as  saying,  'Damn  the  odds.*  The  secretary 
reports  Mr.  W.  A.  Baker  for  saying  to  John  E.  Xorris  (during  an  altercation  between 
the  two),  'You  be  damned,  you  damned  old  Dutch  hog.'  "  As  nothing  but  the  very 
gravest  matters  are  recorded  in  the  minutes,  it  is  clear  that  the  offense  of  using  impolite 
language  is  the  worst  the  fire  laddies  of  that  period  (1810)  can  be  accused  of.  It  would 
seem  that  these  old  volunteers  had  quite  a  profound  veneration  for  their  engine  houses, 
from  the  rules  and  regulations  they  made  for  the  maintenance  of  discipline.  Under  date 
of  February  10,  1830,  we  find  on  the  minutes  of  Engine  Company  Xo.  13.  that  Mr. 
Tonnele  was  fined  twice  for  swearing  and  once  for  chewing.  Chewing!  What  would 
our  valued  firemen  of  to-day  say  if  the  commissioners  passed  such  a  resolution  as  the 
following,  which  appears  on  the  book  of  No.  13,  on  November  28,  1829: 

Resolved,  That  if  any  member  be  found  smoking  a  segar  or  chewing  tobacco  in  the 
engine  house  at  any  time,  he  shall  be  fined  twenty-five  cents  for  every  offense. 

Such  an  order  would,  undoubtedly,  cause  a  conflagration  to-day.  "What !"  said  a 
fireman  to  the  writer,  "fire  without  smoke?  Never!  It  is  against  the  laws  of  nature." 
Time  after  time  were  the  men  fined  for  a  breach  of  this  rule,  the  occurrence  always 
being  gravely  recorded  on  the  minutes.  Poor  Tonnele  appears  to  have  been  a  slave  to 
the  weed  and  forfeited  many  a  dollar  for  the  sake  of  a  "quid."  Swearing  was  regarded 
as  heinous  as  chewing.  One  of  the  by-laws  of  Pearl  Hose  Company  No.  28,  in  1854,  was: 
"If  any  member  while  on  duty  or  at  meetings,  shall  persist  in  improper  conduct,  or  in 
using  profane  or  improper  language,  he  shall  be  expelled,  provided  that  two-thirds  of 
the  members  present  vote  therefor." 

The  temperance  societies  of  1840  made  an  effort  to  win  over  the  firemen,  and  in  a 
measure  succeeded.  Almost  all  the  members  of  Engine  Company  No.  18  signed  the 
pledge,  and  became  ardent  propagandists.  They  were  encouraged  and  rewarded  by 
the  Ninth  Warders,  who  presented  them  with  a  silken  banner.  The  presentation  took 
place  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Bedford  Street,  and  it  was  a  great  day  for 
the  boys.  The  banner  was  presented  by  Miss  Downey,  sister  of  Captain  Jack  Downey 
(afterwards  of  the  Fire  Zouaves).  The  fire  laddies  entered  the  church  in  their  uniform, 
and  were  seated  in  the  front  pews. 

No  chief  had  ever  so  great  a  hold  upon  the  firemen  as  James  Gulick  had.  We  refer 
in  the  chapter  upon  fires  to  the  refusal  of  the  men  to  work  after  the  great  fire  of  Decem- 
ber, 1835,  when  the  Common  Council  deposed  him  from  office.  Here  is  another  instance 
of  the  affection  the  boys  had  for  him.  It  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  same  year,  January 
4,  that  a  fire  broke  out  in  Centre  Street,  adjoining  the  works  of  the  New  York  Gas 
Company,  which  destroyed  two  houses.  Against  the  gable  end  of  one  of  the  burning 
buildings  a  large  number  of  barrels  of  rosin  were  piled.  The  firemen  worked  diligently 
to  save  these  by  rolling  them  into  the  street,  and  the  night  being  intensely  cold,  some  one 
kindled  a  small  fire  in  the  street  with  a  part  of  the  contents  of  a  broken  barrel,  which 
the  workmen  employed  by  the  gas  company  attempted  to  extinguish.  They  were 
warned  by  the  firemen  to  desist,  and  a  big,  heavy  fellow,  who  insisted  upon  putting  out 
the  fire,  was  shoved  away.  Thereupon  a  large  number  of  his  friends  attacked  the  few 
firemen  around  the  fire.  Other  firemen  flew  to  the  assistance  of  their  comrades,  and  a 
regular  fight  ensued.  The  laddies  conquered.  .Gulick  heard  of  the  affair,  and,  hastening 
to  the  scene,  exclaimed:  "What  does  all  thi  shameful  conduct  mean  at  this  moment?" 
One  of  the  workmen  flew  at  him  and  struck  him  from  behind  over  the  head  with  an 
iron  bar.  His  fire-cap,  however,  protected  him  from  serious  injury.  Turning  upon 
his  assailant  the  powerful  chief  pursued  him  across  the  ruins  of  the  fallen  wall,  and 
threw  him  upon  the  bricks.  Immediately  some  thirty  or  forty  workmen  surrounded 
Gulick.  Then  the  cry  was  raised.  "Men,  stand  by  your  chief!"  and  in  a  twinkling  the 
assailants  were  quickly  routed  and  took  refuge  in  the  gas  house  at  the  corner  of  Centre 
and  Hester  Streets.  Gulick.  by  almost  superhuman  efforts,  got  into  the  gas  house  first, 
to  prevent  the  excited  men  from  entering.  Amid  volleys  of  coal  buckets  he  called  upon  the 
rioters  inside  to  behave  themselves  and  they  should  be  protected.  He  was  replied  to  by 
being  rushed  at  with  a  red  hot  poker  ;  but,  fortunately,  his  trumpet  was  under  his  arm. 
with  its  large  bowl  in  front  of  him,  through  which  the  hot  poker  passed.  He  jumped 
from  the  stoop,  crying  in  stentorian  tones:  "Now,  men,  surround  the  house:  don't  let 


121 


A  Record,  extending  over  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  Century,  of  uniform  fair  dealing, 
obligations  ungrudgingly  fulfilled  and  promises  promptly  and  faithfully  kept  means 
something.    Such  a  record  is  presented  by 


XLhc  Ifoome  ITnsurance  Company 

NEW  YORK 

ELBRIDGE  G.  SNOW,  President 

MAIN  OFFICE,  56  CEDAR  STREET 


CASH  CAPITAL 

Assets,  January  1,  1909 

Liabilities,  including  Capital  - 

IH^  Reserve  as  a  Conflagration  Surplus 

Bkay'  Net  Surplus  over  all  Liabilities  and  Reserves 

tOtf'  Surplus  as  Regards  Policy-Holders 


$3,000,000 

$24,856,499 
14,173,678 
800,000 
9,882,821 
13,682,821 


Insures  against  loss  of  real  and  personal  property,  rental  income,  use  and  occupancy, 
earned  profits  and  commissions  by  fire,  lightning,  wind-storm  and  inland  transportation  risks 

AUTOMOBILE  INSURANCE 

Property  Owners,  Mortgagees,  Executors  and  Trustees  desiring  the  best  and  surest  insurance  will  appreciate 
the  fact  that  the  net  assets  of  THE  HOME — the  surplus  funds  reserved  for  the  exclusive  protection  of  its 
policy-holders — are  greater  than  those  of  any  other  Fire  Insurance  Company  operating  in  this  Country 

LOSSES  PAID  SINCE  ORGANIZATION,  OVER  $115,000,000 


Alfred  Mestre  &  Co. 
Bankers 


52  ^roadway 


New  York 


Offer  the  advantages  of  a 
thoroughly  equipped  or- 
ganization for  the  execu- 
tions of  commissions  on 
the  New  York  Stock  Ex- 
change :::::: 

-CORRESPONDENCE  SOLICITED— 


If  you  love  the  seashore  and  country  but  want  city 
conveniences — if  you  want  to  be  within  easy  reach 
of  Manhattan  and  still  be  able  to  step  from  your 
home  to  where  your  yacht  or  power  boat  is  anchored 
—  if  you  want  to  live  or  own  where  the  neighborhood 
is  restricted  to  handsome  homes— visit 

MALBA 


on  the  shore  of  Long  Island,  just  where  the  East  River  widens 
into  the  Sound.  Automobile  across  the  Queensboro  Bridge  to 
MALBA  in  20  minutes  or  go  by  train  to  MALBA  STATION. 
L.  I.  R.  R  ,  from  East  34th  Street  in  30  minutes,  or  by  boat  to 
MALBA  DOCK  from  Wall  Street  in  45  minutes.  When  you 
reach  there  you  will  find  beautiful  drives  that  wind  along  the 
shore  and  pass  fine  residences  surrounded  by  spacious  lawns. 
The  view  up  the  Sound,  dotted  here  and  there  with  craft  of 
every  description,  is  entrancing,  while  directly  opposite,  the  hills 
of  Westchester  County  rise  to  relieve  the  water  view. 

MALBA  is  not  a  farm  cut  up  into  building  lots  but 
a  beautiful  park  on  high  ground  along  the  water 

Several  Houses  are  now  being  built  for  sale  and  we  will 
build  to  order 

LIBERAL  TERMS  TO  THE  RIGHT  PARTIES 

Our,  men  are  on  the  grounds  to  give  information 
you  can  also  get  by  writing  to 


60  Liberty  St. 
EW  YORK 


122 


one  of  them  escape !"  They  were  all,  or  nearly  all,  arrested  and  locked  up  after  receiving 
a  sound  drubbing.  The  firemen  got  very  excited,  and  it  seemed  that  a  big  riot  would 
ensue.  They  rushed  into  the  gas  house  and  attempted  to  destroy  the  machinery,  and 
a  dreadful  explosion  was  eminent.  But  the  chief's  firmness  prevailed,  and  in  a  short 
time  he  quieted  the  men  and  restored  peace. 

It  is  proper  that  we  should  now  devote  a  chapter  to  the  means  by  which  the  fire 
fiend  is  to  be  fought.  Without  a  good  supply  of  water  the  finest  engines  and  the  high- 
est estate  of  discipline  are  almost  useless  to  stay  the  progress  of  a  fire.  The  water  sup- 
ply of  a  city  is  as  great  an  essential  as  its  drainage,  and  more  so  than  its  arrangement  of 
streets  or  its  lighting.  To  this  subject  the  ancients  have  devoted  their  best  energies,  and 
the  remains  of  the  gigantic  waterworks  of  old  Rome  attest  the  truth  of  the  assertion. 
Hence,  we  propose  to  treat,  as  fully  as  the  scope  of  this  work  will  allow,  the  water 


BURNING  OF  BARNUM'S  MUSEUM,  BROADWAY  AND  ANN  STREET,  JULY  13,  1865 


supply  of  New  York.  It  is  a  natural  sequence  of  the  history  of  fires  and  will  properly 
precede  a  sketch  of  the  volunteer  fire  companies. 

At  a  very  early  day  the  want  of  a  sufficient  supply  and  a  conveniene  distribution  of 
good  water  was  felt  by  the  citizens  of  New  York.  Before  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence considerable  expenditures  had  been  made  in  order  to  satisfy  this  want.  At  first  wells 
were  the  only  source  of  supply.  There  weie  no  public  wells  before  the  year  1658,  the 
inhabitants  previous  to  that  time  having  been  supplied  by  private  wells  within  their  own 
inclosures.  The  first  public  well  constructed  (  1658)  was  in  front  of  the  fort.  It  does 
not  appear  that  any  other  wells  were  sunk  in  the  streets  until  1677,  at  which  time  an 


123 


FOR    THE    PROTECTION    OF    ITS    POLICY  HOLDERS 

Cbc  fianover  fire  Insurance  Company 

HAS  A 

CASH  CAPITAL         ....  $1,000,000.00 

CASH  ASSETS  ....  $4,395,625.89 

CASH  SURPLUS  TO  POLICY  HOLDERS,  $2,063,044.01 

The  real  strength  of  an  insurance  company  is  in  the  conservatism  of  its  management,  and  the  management  of 
THE  HANOVER  is  an  absolute  assurance  of  the  security  of  its  policy. 


R.  EMORY  WARFIELD.  Pre.ident 

JOSEPH  McCORD.  Vice-Pre.ident  and  Secretary 


WILLIAM  MORRISON.  As.istant  Secretary 
JAMES  W.  HOWIE.  General  Agent 


Home  Office :  Hanover  Building,  34-36  PINE  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


Globe  &  Rutgers 
Fire  Insurance  Co. 

Ill  WILLIAM  ST.  ::  NEW  YORK 
CASH  CAPITAL  -  $400,000.00 


Assets,  July  1st,  1909,  -  $4,713,537.40 
Surplus  to  Policy  Holders,  $2,426,005.82 


E.  C.  JAMESON 
LYMAN  CANDEE 
W.  H.  PAUL1SON 
J.  T.  GORDON 


President 
Vice-President 
Secretary 
Secretary 


PHOENI 

Assurance  Company 

LIMITED 

OF  LONDON 


ORGANIZED  1782 


HEAD   OFFICE    UNITED    STATES  BRANCH 

47  CEDAR  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


UBERTO  C.  CROSBY,  General  Manager  RICHARD  D.  HARVEY,  Assistant  General  Manager 

INCORPORATED  A.   D.  1720 


nf  Hmtdmt. 


UNITED  STATES  BRANCH 

92  WILLIAM  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


METROPOLITAN  DEPT. 
1  LIBERTY  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


124 


order  was  promulgataed  that  "wells  be  made  in  the  following  places  by  the  inhabitant* 
of  the  streets  where  they  are  severally  made,"  viz: 

One  opposite  Roelof  Jansen,  the  butcher. 

One  in  Broadway,  opposite  Van  Dyck's. 

One  in  the  street,  opposite  Derick  Smith's. 

One  in  the  street,  opposite  John  Cavalier's. 

One  in  the  yard  of  the  City  Hall. 

One  in  the  street,  opposite  Cornelius  Van  Boroum's. 

In  1687  seven  other  public  wells  were  ordered  in  different  streets,  for  the  purpose  of 
defraying  the  expenses  of  which  the  respective  premises  were  assessed ;  and  in  the  same 
year  the  city  government  undertook  to  pay  one-half  the  expense,  and  the  neighbors  the 
other  half.  Public  wells,  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  last  century,  were  constructed 
by  a  contribution  of  £8  by  the  government,  and  the  remaining  portion  was  defrayed  by 
the  inhabitants  residing  in  the  neighborhood.  No  person  was  allowed  the  use  of  a  well 
until  he  had  contributed  a  fair  proportion  of  the  cost.  About  the  year  1750  pumps  came 
into  use,  and  a  general  act  was  afterwards  passed  to  enable  the  city  to  raise  a  tax  for 
the  construction  and  keeping  in  repair  of  the  public  wells  and  pumps. 

About  the  year  1690  there  were,  say,  a  dozen  public  wells  in  the  city,  standing  all 
of  them  in  the  middle  of  the  streets.  In  1748  there  were  many  wells,  but  a  portion  of 
the  inhabitants  preferred  to  send  "out  of  town"  to  the  Fresh-water  Spring,  then  and  for 
a  long  period  afterwards  known  as  the  Tea-water  Spring.  This  Spring  was  situated 
near  the  present  junction  of  Chatham  and  Roosevelt  Streets.  Shortly  before  the  Revo- 
lution the  neighborhood  of  the  spring  was  made  into  a  fashionable  place  of  resort  at 
which  to  procure  beverages  mixed  with  pure  water.  A  pump  was  erected  over  the 
famous  spring,  ornamented  grounds  were  laid  out  around  it,  and  the  "Tea-water  Pump 
Garden"  held  forth  its  attractions  under  the  most  seductive  influences.  The  water  of 
all  the  other  wells  and  pumps  (and  there  were  many  scattered  over  the  city)  was  almost 
unfit  for  use. 

Before  the  introduction  of  the  Croton,  water  was  one  of  the  chief  commodities  for 
barter  in  the  city.  It  was  delivered  by  contract  as  ice  now  is,  or  hawked  through  the 
streets  at  a  cent  or  a  cent  and  a  half  a  pail.  In  some  houses  this  was  an  important  item 
of  expense.  Sixty  years  ago  Mr.  Davis,  of  the  "Grapevine,"  in  Greenwich  Avenue,  had 
an  establishment  at  Beekman  and  South  Streets.  He  was  furnished  with  forty  gallons 
of  water  a  day  from  the  old  spring  in  Franklin  Square,  and  his  bill  was  thirty  shillings 
a  week,  or  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  dollars  a  year.  But  Knapp's  tea-water,  drawn 
from  a  spring  close  by  the  old  White  Fort,  was  the  most  popular  in  the  olden  time,  and 
gave  employment  to  a  great  many  men  who  made  a  good  living  by  it.  Among  these 
was  Mr.  Sweeney,  the  founder  of  Sweeney's  Hotel,  who  was  in  former  times  a  waterman. 
Knapp's  famous  spring  was  probably  not  over  six  hundred  feet  from  high  water  mark, 
and  was  located  on  Tenth  Avenue,  near  Fourteenth  Street.  The  Ninth  AVard  was 
favored  with  a  number  of  good  springs.  Going  through  Thirteenth  Street  there  was  a 
well  where  Tracy  &  Russell's  brewery  afterward  stood.  A  little  further  up,  at  Chris- 
topher Street  and  Sixth  Avenue,  there  was  another  tea-well  which  was  largely  patron- 
ized. There  were  large  numbers  of  wells  sunk  by  the  city  which  were  public,  but 
Knapp's  Spring  and  the  spring  in  Christopher  Street,  having  obtained  a  name,  had  a 
large  patronage  from  those  who  could  afford  to  pay  for  the  water. 

In  1790  the  tea-water  pumps  became  an  important  aid  in  extinguishing  fires  in  the 
vicinity.  The  other  wells  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  furnished  only  a  miserable  and 
brackish  substitute  for  water.  But  here,  night  or  day,  there  bubbled  up  continuously  a 
strong  stream  of  pure  cold  water,  alike  the  joy  of  the  firemen  and  the  traveler. 

In  July.  1774,  the  proposal  of  Christopher  Colles  to  erect  a  reservoir  and  to  convey 
water  through  the  several  streets  of  the  city  was  accepted  by  the  Common  Council. 
Mr.  Colles's  scheme  was  simply  that  of  the  Manhattan  Company — to  dig  large  wells, 
and  from  them  to  pump  water  into  reservoirs. 

To  no  single  individual  is  the  system  of  American  improvements  more  indebted 
than  to  Christopher  Colles.  Born  in  Ireland  in  the  year  1738,  he  first  appears  in  this 
country  in  1772,  as  a  lecturer  upon  pneumatics,  illustrated  by  experiments  in  an  air- 
pump  of  his  own  invention.    He  is  also  said  to  have  been  the  first  in  this  country  to 


125 


SCHINASI  BROS. 

EGYPTIAN 
CIGARETTES 

::SOLD    ALL  OVER:: 


OUR  LEADING  BRANDS  ARE 
ROYAL  NATURAL      E.  PRETTIEST 

Plain  or  Cork  Tip  1  5C.  per  box  of  I  0  1  Oc.  per  box  of  I  0 

20c.  per  box  of  1  0 


OFFICE  AND  SALESROOM 


32-34  West   100th  Street,  New  York 

126 


undertake  the  building  of  a  steam  engine.  In  1773  he  lectured  in  this  city  on  the  ad- 
vantage of  lock  navigation,  and  one  year  later  he  proposed  the  erection  of  a  reservoir, 
and  the  laying  down  of  a  system  of  conduit  pipes.  With  the  aid  of  the  corporation  a 
steam  pumping  engine  was  erected  near  the  Collect  Pond.  The  engine  carried  a  pump 
eleven  inches  in  diameter  and  six  feet  stroke,  which  lifted  four  hundred  and  seventeen 
thousand  six  hundred  gallons  daily.  The  war  of  the  Revolution  caused  an  abandon- 
ment of  this  plan. 

All  the  authorities  concur  in  giving  to  Colles  the  credit  of  having  been  not  only  the 
first  to  propose,  but  the  first  to  bring  before  the  public,  in  a  practical  form,  the  feasibility 
and  vast  national  advantage  of  a  system  of  water  communication  which  should  unite  the 
great  lakes  and  their  boundless  tributary  territory  with  the  Atlantic  ocean.  This  dis- 
tinguished citizen  was  also  the  first  (in  1812)  to  make  "formal  public  proposal  for 
telegraphic  intercourse  along  the  whole  American  coast,  from  Passamaquoddy  to  New 
Orleans."  A  semaphoric  telegraph  was  established  to  signalize  intelligence  between 
New  York  and  Sandy  Hook,  which  for  many  years  was  under  his  personal  direction. 
He  died  in  this  city  on  the  fourth  day  of  October,  1816,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his 
age,  and  was  burried  in  St.  Paul's  Cemetery. 

The  ground  selected  to  carry  out  Mr.  Colles's  scheme  was  on  the  east  fine  of  Broad- 
way, between  Pearl  and  White  Streets,  where  a  spacious  reservoir  was  constructed.  On 
August  8,  1774,  the  Aldermen  passed  the  following  resolution : 

Ordered,  That  the  northerly  part  of  the  property  of  Augustus  Van  Cortlandt  and 
Frederick  Van  Cortlandt,  fronting  on  Great  George  Street,  be  purchased  at  six  hundred 
pounds  per  acre  for  a  reservoir,  provided  that  upon  sinking  a  well  there  good  water  be 
found.    If  not,  the  well  to  be  filled  up  by  the  corporation. 

The  water  proved  satisfactory,  and  treasury  notes  to  the  amount  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  pounds  were  ordered  to  be  issued  to  meet  the  expenses.  Subsequently 
other  proposals  were  made,  and  in  1798  it  was  found  necessary  to  look  outside  the  city 
for  a  sufficient  supply  of  water,  and  the  Bronx  River  was  mentioned.  The  yellow  fever, 
which  had  made  great  ravages,  was  said  to  have  been  aggravated  by  the  scarcity  of  good 
water.  Dr.  Brown,  in  his  report  to  the  Common  Council,  underrated  the  quantity  needed. 
He  considered  three  hundred  and  sixty-two  thousand  eight  hundred  gallons  as  an  ample 
daily  supply,  and  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  as  the  utmost  expenditure  required  for 
bringing  the  Bronx  to  the  city,  for  laying  down  twenty  miles  of  pipes  in  the  streets,  and 
erecting  two  public  fountains.  The  water  was  to  be  elevated  eighty  feet  above  the  level 
of  Harlem  River ;  the  machinery  for  the  purpose  was  to  be  propelled  by  the  surplus 
water  from  the  Bronx,  which  was  estimated  to  discharge  one  thousand  two  hundred 
cubic  feet,  or  seven  thousand  four  hundred  ale  gallons  per  minute.  A  Mr.  Western, 
however,  estimated  that  the  city  would  require  three  million  gallons  per  day. 

Up  to  the  year  1816,  no  serious  effort  was  made  to  supply  the  city  with  a  sufficiency 
of  good  water.  Then  the  matter  was  thoroughly  discussed,  and  in  August  of  1819, 
Robert  Macomb  asked  permission  of  the  corporation  to  furnish  the  city  with  water. 
After  many  inquiries  and  experiments  the  first  positive  step  towards  something  like 
action  on  the  part  of  the  corporation  was  taken  on  the-  recommendation  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment in  1829.  A  report  made  by  Alderman  Samuel  Stevens  in  favor  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  well  and  reservoir  in  Fourteenth  Street,  where  water  might  be  distributed, 
was  accepted  and  favorably  acted  upon.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  noble  Croton 
Aqueduct. 

New  York  was  about  this  time  experiencing  one  of  its  characteristic  "building 
booms,"  and  was  growing  with  unprecedented  rapidity  away  and  beyond  the  public 
improvements  so  necessary  for  the  convenience  and  welfare  of  its  inhabitants,  for  although 
the  natural  advantages  of  New  York  in  other  respects  were  not  excelled,  nor  perhaps 
equalled,  by  any  other  city  in  the  world,  yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  supply  of  water 
for  household  purposes  and  for  the  extinguishment  of  fire,  was  in  1829,  very  meagre. 
Various  schemes  had  been  adopted  for  bringing  water  into  the  city,  but  none  had  as  yet 
complied  with  the  main  objects  of  their  charters,  so  far  as  the  public  was  concerned,  and 
it  was  found  that  similar  incorporations  of  private  individuals  for  the  purpose  of  fur- 
nishing water  to  the  city,  was  productive  only  of  the  same  results,  and  the  prospects 


127 


THE 

HUNT  AND  DAY 

BANK 

FIFTH  AVE.  and  44th  STREET 


OFFICERS 

SAMUEL  S.  CAMPBELL 
FREDERICK  PHILLIPS  - 
THOMAS  B.  CLARKE.  Jr.  - 
JOHN  A.  NOBLE 


President 
Vice-President 
Vice-President 
Cashier 


Merchants  of  standing  and  responsible  in- 
dividuals are  offered  by  this  bank  not  only 
the  advantage  of  extended  hours  for  the 
transaction  of  their  banking  business,  but 
also  facilities  and  services  of  the  highest  or- 
der of  efficiency,  together  with  the  utmost 
personal  courtesy,  without  discrimination 
in  regard  to  the  amount  of  their  balances. 
The  policy  of  the  bank  is  to  establish  a  mu- 
tually pleasant  and  profitable  relation 


Home  Office  Building 
No.    100  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK 


AMERICAN  SURETY  COMPANY 

of  New  York 

Capital  and  Surplus,  $5,700,000 

Surety  bonds  and  undertakings  furnished 
promptly  throughout  the  entire  country. 

The  Company's  experience  extends  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

Its  financial  strength  is  greater  and  its  agency 
organization  is  more  extensive  than  that  of  any 
other  surety  company. 

It  is  the  largest  Company  in  the  world  whose 
business  is  restricted  to  furnishing 

SURETY  BONDS 


128 


JOSEPH  L.  PERLEY 
Second  Chief  New  York  Fire  Department 
Date  of  entrance  into  service,  July  10,  1865;  January,  1870-1873 
Resigned  May,  1873;  Commissioner  1873 


129 


THE  F.  T.  SANFORD  AUTOMOBILE  CO. 


-EXCLUSIVE  AGENT- 


" THAMES  SIX  CYLINDER" 


(garage  -  S^atra  -  g>uppltPB 


Telephone,  Bryant  3490 

Cable,  SANMOTOR,  New  York 


38  and  40  West  43rd  Street 


COMPLIMENTS  OF 


Hudson  -Fulton 
Automobile  Co. 

NEW  AND  USED  CARS 

STORAQE 
PAINTING 
REPAIRING 
ACCESSORIES 

SALESROOM  and  GARAGE 

247-249  WEST  47th  STREET 

,7Jei.  Broadway  and  (Eighth  Avenue 

NEW  YORK 

Phones,  4436-4437  Bryant 


COMPLIMENTS  OF 


Renault 

®axt-£>prtmp 


249-251  WEST  64th  STREET 
TELEPHONE  701  COLUMBUS 

NEW  YORK 


E.  P.  MAC  DOWELL 

General  Superintendent 


MANHATTAN  AERO  &  AUTO  CO. 


-DEALERS  IN  FIRST-CLASS- 


larii  Automobiles  ©nig 


121  West  53  rd  Street 


Telephone 
2241  Columbus 


New  York 


no 


of  securing  an  adequate  supply  of  water  for  the  city's  uses  seemed  as  far  from  realiza- 
tion as  ever. 

The  Fire  Department  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  agitation  of  this  very  vital 
issue,  for  many  destructive  fires  that  took  place  on  or  about  this  period,  and  the  remark- 
ably rapid  advance  in  building  operations,  which  was  going  on  at  the  rate  of  sixteen 
hundred  to  eighteen  hundred  houses  a  year,  made  the  firemen  painfully  aware  of  the 
great  fire-peril  the  city  was  constantly  facing  with  no  available  sources  of  water  for 
fire  purposes  other  than  the  public  cisterns,  the  various  wells  scattered  throughout  the 
city  and  the  two  rivers,  the  latter  seldom  if  ever  near  the  fires.  It  must  also  be  under- 
stood that  the  importance  of  obtaining  a  plentyful  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water 
for  the  city  had  features  other  than  its  necessity  for  fire  uses  that  made  it  an  issue  of 
considerable  moment,  for  in  looking  to  future  events  connected  with  its  commercial  and 
domestic  prospects  the  fact  was  not  lost  sight  of  that  sister  cities  of  other  States  were 
entering  into  competition  with  a  zeal  and  enterprise  which  rendered  them  formidable 
but  not  unworthy  rivals.  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  by  the  completion  of  their  various 
works  of  internal  communication,  were  already  attracting  a  considerable  portion  of 
valuable  trade  of  the  West,  and  it  was  necessary  for  the  people  of  New  York  to  con- 
sider what  steps  were  required  to  secure  their  position  upon  an  equality  with  those 
enterprising  cities. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  on  the  Island  of  Manhattan  in  the  year  1830. 
Public  improvements  which  were  started  during  that  year,  and  which  were  being  carried 
on  rapidly,  were  generally  of  a  character  to  produce  permanent  advantages  both  of 
safety  and  convenience  to  the  inhabitants.  The  construction  of  pumps  and  wells 
throughout  the  city  was  continued  with  unabated  energy  and  the  question  of  obtaining 
a  reliable  and  adequate  supply  of  pure  water  was  receiving  the  most  serious  attention. 

Broadway  was  built  up  nearly  to  Union  Square ;  on  the  west  side  of  the  island  the 
city  proper  was  verging  almost  to  Greenwich  Village,  which  had  expanded  into  a  large 
and  well-built  suburban  ward ;  while  eastward,  from  the  Bowery,  many  settlements 
were  springing  up  quite  beyond  the  compact  part  of  the  city.  Real  estate  values  were 
increasing  at  a  wonderful  rate  and  the  shipping  interests  were  advancing  in  a  like  ratio 
and  those  who  had  studied  the  commercial  possibilities  of  the  city  began  to  realize  that 
New  York  was  soon  to  become  the  Queen  City  of  the  East — a  great  business  centre 
whose  reputation  for  industry  and  enterprise  would  circle  the  entire  world  and  gain 
for  it  the  title  it  was  destined  to  bear  in  later  years — that  of  the  Empire  City  of  the 
whole  United  States. 


Fire  Trumpet,  Croton  Engine  Company  No.  16,  Year  1839 


Hi 


F.  M.  DOLBEER 


F.  SECOR.  Special 


ESTABLISHED  1864 

F.  C.  LINDE,  HAMILTON  &  CO. 

Warehousemen 
and « members 

Office        -        -        No.  123  MAIDEN  LANE 


G.  S.  Bonded  and  Free  Stores 
178,  180,  182,  186  and  188  Pearl  Street 

37-39  Stone  Street,  29-31  South  William  Street 

123  Maiden  Lane,  7  Fletcher  Street 

NEW  YORK 


TELEPHONE    2945  JOHN 

132 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


'John  Jameson 

» -  ,Three  ^  ^  Star  ^ . 

/Whiskey 


The  "Three  Stars" 
are  your  guide  to 
the  high  mark  of 
whiskey  goodness. 

W.  A.  Taylor  &  Co.,Agts  ,29  B'way.N  Y. 


W.  A.  Taylor  &  Co. 

29  Broadway,         New  York 


